Where, Oh Where, Do the Charlotte ‘Self-Employeds’ Work?
I saw an ad on TV the other day about “The New Workplace”. If you haven’t seen it, the commercial promotes the resurging popularity of shared office space amongst the self-employed.
It goes something like this: Guy in a tie, late 30s, walks through a keyman-style building extolling the virtues of sharing a coffee pot and receptionist with a half-dozen strangers. He exchanges smiles and nods with the other “self-employeds” as he spins through the modern chic office/set.
“You work for yourself, but you have people to bounce ideas off of,” he says. “You have clerical support, a copier and coffee, too!” But best of all: you don’t work with or for these people. You’re a self-employed, independent, freewheeling, up-by-your-bootstraps kind of honcho!
It looked – and sounded – kind of cool. As someone who works in an industry ripe for start-ups and freelancers, I found this little community of symbiotic self-starters rather appealing. And with a recession still raging out there, you have to think this cadre of workers will continue to grow as corporate America struggles to rebuild its workforce.
But I’m not sold on The New Workplace. Call me sloppy – but the idea of working in PJs will never lose its luster. You wake, you walk to couch, you turn on computer, you work. And with the emergence of high-speed, portable wireless Internet services, you can take it on the road – to the park, the coffee shop, the barbershop, poolside, beachside, barside – you name it. Or, you can hang at the house – TV on, security system armed and your business booming from the comfort of your living room.
Don’t get me wrong, the shared workspace concept works for a lot of people. A self-employed friend of mine recently leased space in a New Workplace-kind of building in Mooresville, and it suits her. The Charlotte area has quite a few of them, in fact. Financial services professionals seem particularly attracted to them because of the mind-share opportunities between the vast specialists in their field. And with the added benefit of creating a professional front on a low-frills operation, The New Workplace is practically a necessity for that segment.
But writers across the Queen City continue to hold onto their worn bedroom slippers, fraying bathrobes and the ability to complete five loads of laundry in a single workday. It may not be “The New Workplace”, but it sure is a recognizable one. And I’m a proud supporter.