GigaOM » mobile work

Bay Area cities using coworking to cut carbon, boost growth

Jessica Stillman — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:05:56 +0000

Coworking can provide independent pros with great spaces in which to work and network, but shared work spaces are also good for the local communities surrounding them. NextSpace, for instance, has leveraged this fact to win the backing of the local governments for its spaces , while rural communities in Appalachia are looking to coworking to spur local economic development. Now workspace locating app LiquidSpace is getting involved in the trend, partnering with three Bay Area cities to connect underutilized public spaces with laptop-toting independent workers.

LiquidSpace has partnered with Santa Cruz, Palo Alto and San Francisco to list 27 workspaces in 16 government buildings (mostly libraries), including previously and independently listed Bay Area government spaces from Sonoma to San Mateo. The aims of the partnership are twofold. Firstly, the city governments believe that keeping more commuters closer to home will mean more dollars spent in the local community.

“Over 30 percent of our local work force commutes to Silicon Valley on a daily basis, and so we’ve recognized the tremendous opportunity to create more opportunities for our citizens to work closer to home. Supporting mobile working is absolutely vital to the economic health and well being of the community,” said former mayor of Santa Cruz, Ryan Coonerty. And Sid Espinosa, the former mayor of Palo Alto agreed:

Here in Palo Alto we’re specifically engaging in a number of public and private partnerships with local tech companies like LiquidSpace. We not only want to support the companies that keep the Bay Area at the forefront of the technology industry, but want to use their unique products and services to support other entrepreneurs and the community as a whole.

The second goal of the program is environmental. “City governments are recognizing the opportunity to make taxpayer purchased real estate assets work smarter and harder,” said Mark Gilbreath, CEO and co-founder of LiquidSpace, who noted, “we have enough built-out office space on the planet to meet all of our collective needs for the next fifty years.” By putting what’s already out there to better use, the partners aim to reduce waste and the carbon footprint of their communities. The director of the City of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment Melanie Nutter explains:

We, as government entities, must lead by example in the area of sustainable economic development policies and practices. Commercial real estate accounts for 55 percent of our carbon footprint, and when mobile workers can leverage spaces nearby, we can optimize that building use and shorten commutes.

Do you see more collaborations between the coworking movement and government planners coming in the future?

Image courtesy of Flickr user San Jose Library.

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The dark side of mobile work: How can we resist its pull?

Jessica Stillman — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:00:11 +0000

When iPass recently conducted in-depth research into how the explosion in mobile work was affecting workers, they found a stark divide in how the ability to get stuff done nearly anywhere and at any time affected people. Many responded, unsurprisingly, that the freedom to connect added several hours of work to their average week.

More surprising was how those additional hours affected people: About a third told iPass the extra flexibility (and attendant jump in hours worked) added stress to their lives; another third disagreed completely, responding that mobile work made them more relaxed. (It’s assumed the remaining third or so were about equally relaxed with or without mobile work.)

What’s going on here? Dr. Carolyn Axtell of the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield recently analyzed the numbers (and will be speaking about her findings at Net:Work), trying to sort out why some workers respond well to the connected lifestyle and some suffer. In the process, she identified three “buffers” that insulate connected workers from the worst effects of a constant connection to professional demands. She describes them as:

Achievement. Many professional workers are lucky enough to be in a position where they really enjoy what they do. They become truly involved and engaged in their work because their jobs provide challenge, recognition, financial rewards and even power. Their work is interesting and motivating and gives them a sense of mastery and achievement, and these characteristics are related to greater well-being and satisfaction

Control. Having greater control over setting one’s own schedule means that work demands can be moved around other obligations to a more suitable time. Research consistently shows that having greater control and autonomy is related to higher wellbeing.

Support. It might be that some of these mobile workers are able to work so many extra hours because they receive a lot support at home for childcare or household duties (e.g., hired help; a spouse who takes on the majority of the childcare duties) and they may also have more support at work (e.g., people to delegate work to). Certainly research has shown that professional managers who work long hours often have such support available. Research has consistently shown that having more support acts as a protection against the greater stress that can result from high job demands.

Certainly having a nanny or a spouse who is handy in the kitchen and willing to man the washing machine is helpful, but not something companies can be expected to provide. Nor are most organizations able to create a sense of achievement in a worker who feels his job is unimportant or uninteresting. But there are things organizations can do to help boost these insulting factors that keep employees safe from connected work stress, according to Axtell.

For example, organizations can allow workers “greater control over their ‘off-job’ time,” which presumably translates to not bombarding them with communications and requests at all hours. This also might amount to giving workers as long a lead time as possible before a task is due, so they can set their own schedule and won’t feel intense pressure to work all hours to meet a tight timeline.

Companies should also “ensure that employees have the right resources to do their job and have the necessary support to overcome obstacles.” This support can come in the form of concrete help like necessary training and adequate information, or as emotional support, such as providing opportunities for employees to bond and relax.

Finally, Axtell suggests managers explicitly encourage workers to set firm boundaries and find time to recharge. Rather than phoning up at 11 p.m. to ask about that meeting next Tuesday, bosses should, “encourage employees to maintain a boundary between home and work and not work excessive hours.”

Is this akin to expecting Darth Vader to ask Luke to stay away from the dark side? At the end of the day, whose responsibility is it to set work-life boundaries in a world of perpetual connectivity, the worker’s or the organization’s?

Image courtesy of Flickr user dullhunk.

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How Steelcase is designing now for the future of work

Don Ball, CoCo — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:00:02 +0000

More and more, big corporations are focusing on how to increase the interactions between employees, and look to coworking as a possible model. Steelcase, one of the largest designers of office furniture and workspace environments in the world, is definitely taking note of the growth of shared workspace formats like coworking and incorporating that into their designs. (I’ll be talking more about this at GigaOM’s Net:Work event on Dec. 8.) As the co-founder of two coworking spaces in Minnesota — and, full disclosure, having stocked one of our spaces with some of the company’s more unconventional, collaborative furniture — I was curious about the thinking that was driving some of their designs. I recently spoke to Chief Experience Officer Mark Greiner and Principal Researcher Frank Graziano over the phone about the changes that they see sweeping over Cubicleland.

What is the impact of coworking on larger corporations? How are they responding?

Mark Greiner: Businesses are recognizing the importance of choice to their employees. By providing options in how and where their employees work, they’re noticing increases in workplace productivity and morale. Corporations can’t ignore employees and their individual choices anymore. If they do, it will be at their expense.

Frank Graziano: The importance of meeting with others and collaborating in a very intentional way is also rising. In the future, you’ll likely see more shared spaces, and less square footage dedicated to individual work areas.

How is Steelcase responding to this shift in work patterns?

Graziano: We often say “space matters.” And more and more, you’re starting to hear the heads of large corporations say how important their spaces are. It helps them attract and maintain the best talent.

In the past, we’ve spent quite a lot of time implementing designs to raise efficiency. Now we are also looking at how we can use design to galvanize the culture of an organization. What kinds of shared assets might we put in place that evoke new behaviors on campus and help our employees understand the larger details of the projects they are working on? I would say that we, and many of our customers, are beginning to understand that communal spaces — really well done communal spaces — are central to an organization.

Can you describe some of the types of corporate workspace experiments you’ve seen?

Greiner: One example is right here at Steelcase, where we just remodeled our cafeteria. Now we call it a “WorkCafé.” It’s not just a place to have a healthy meal; it is designed as a productive retreat throughout the day. From a range of settings and postures to a Barista serving cappuccinos; employees have lots of choices.

Graziano: We have the same things that you would have in a coworking space, but, of course, we don’t charge memberships. And the interesting thing is, our employees seem to be selecting this as one of their preferred places to work. It’s become a rich place for fostering interactions across departments.

Why do you think companies are now willing to invest in these shared spaces?

Graziano: Technology is one factor. As corporations move their desktop technology to handheld devices and the cloud, it’s now that much easier for employees to have the independence to work from anywhere. But ironically, with these new freedoms, we are still dependent on ‘place’ to situate our work.

What do you mean?

Greiner: Well, since we can work anywhere, when we do consider where to work we look for a place or space that supports us in achieving a productive outcome.

Graziano: We have to look at how individual devices work and how they can bring content to a group situation. For instance, if five of us are meeting in person, we all can’t look at your iPhone. Collaborative environments require technology that allows each of us to share our individual cloud connection so it can be reviewed by the group.

How would you describe your personal work style?

Greiner: Certainly Frank and I are both highly mobile workers. Even when I’m in Grand Rapids, I’m mobile between the various buildings of the campus, moving from a project room to a more communal space and then to my home base. I start almost every day at one of four cafes in town. I have my breakfast, I read the paper, I do some e-mail, and I plan what I’m going to do for the day. So I often arrive on the corporate campus around mid-morning.

Graziano: We refer to this as being ‘on’ work vs. ‘at’ work.

Steelcase works with hundreds of large companies. Are most of them evolving in the way you’ve described?

Greiner: Absolutely. The pattern used to be that you’d go to the office, sit at your assigned desk, go up three floors for a meeting, walk down to the cafeteria for lunch, go back to your desk, and work there the rest of the day. Now employees have a choice. And as a result we see corporations embracing many new patterns of what we have categorized as alternative work. Within this broad landscape, coworking is becoming a viable option for many.

Don Ball is the co-founder of CoCo, a co-working and collaborative space with locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. He will be discussing the implications and applications of co-working for larger organizations at Net:Work on Dec. 8, 2011.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Todd Ehlers.

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Going Mobile: Is Web Work Really Going to My Mobile Device?

Aliza Sherman — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:00:56 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I can’t get the Who’s song “Going Mobile” out of my head, and it is driving me crazy.

The other day I came across VentureBeat’s MobileBeat 2008 list of companies and have been stressing out ever since. Combine that with attending the latest BlogHer conference and watching several power mobile device users in action (Blackberries implanted in hand, fingers flying at breakneck speed), and no wonder I am starting to feel the pressure of change.

As a Web worker, I can see that my industry is already moving toward being at the forefront of adopting mobile technologies, but I’m not sure exactly what that mobile work looks like.

I’m even less sure how to equip myself properly to handle the technical requirements of mobile work as I’m still trying to get my mobile communications equipment up to snuff. I think I need a technology consultant who can assess my current devices, suggest affordable upgrades, and provide me with a strategy that can help me avoid penalties and too many additional fees from my telecommunications companies not to mention some advice on how to adapt to mobile work. Otherwise, this move toward mobile is going to break my bank not to mention blow my mind.

Can I really go mobile?

Now before you start labeling me a Luddite or of a generation that cannot adopt well to technological change, let me just lay out for you my current tech equipment landscape so you can see my quandry.

My Equipment

1. Two cell phones. When I moved to Alaska, I kept my Wyoming cell phone through Verizon, partly because I still have clients in Wyoming and partly because I didn’t want to change my number. I got a second cell phone through an Alaska company so I could have a local number for my business. I can’t get out of either contract without hundreds of dollars worth of penalties, but I just managed to upgrade the Verizon phone to the LG EnV2 which isn’t even available here in Alaska through the local telecoms. And since I’m in Alaska, I’m unable to use any of the photo or video features on the phone so upgrading from a bare bones phone to a sexy one with a keyboard and camera may have been a bad strategy. My local cell phone is a bare bones LG with zero bells or whistles, only capable of calls and SMS.

2. An iPod Touch. This is a very recent purchase and was meant to be simply an iPod upgrade, but in truth, it was due to iPhone envy. I can’t move to AT&T without a severe penalty so I got the next best thing. Unfortunately, without the cell service, an iPod Touch is mostly inert because even though wifi is proliferating, it isn’t always free and isn’t ubiquitous enough to make the Touch useful in most settings. And in the settings where there is free wifi, I usually have my MacBook with me which, let’s face it, is easier to work on than a hand held device, at least for me.

My Web Work

Looking what I do most days, I can break my work down as follows:

1. Writing. I write for web sites, and I still write for print magazines, but at least I can email my drafts into all of my editors.

2. Blogging. I post all of the blog posts I write, although some clients still have publishing control.

3. Social Media Marketing. On any given day, I’m writing proposals and plans for clients as well as helping to implement plans including setting up social networking accounts, posting multimedia content to social networks, and linking a client’s social networks together for more efficient marketing.

4. E-Coordination. As I continue to hire and work with virtual teams, I’m doing almost all of my coordination via web sites like Basecamp.

5. E-Communications. I’m barely scratching the surface of my email inboxes these days and seeking new ways to manage the constant stream of email communications between clients, vendors, editors, team members, and independent contractors, not to mention my subscriptions to industry newsletters and RSS feeds.

A Mobile Reality Check

Here’s how I see the mobile aspects of my current work:

1. Mobile Writing. I have finally gotten used to composing all of my content on a computer using a laptop keyboard and screen. Now you’re telling me I’m going to have to squint to see my content on a miniscule screen and relearn keyboarding on a tiny excuse for a keyboard? I’m already in need of reading glasses. What next? A magnifying glass? Microscope? Not to mention the new cramps and numbness I’m getting in my hands just from texting more now that I finally have a mobile phone with an augmented keyboard. Scary.

2. Mo-Blogging. Putting aside my stress over trying to see on a tiny screen, typing on a eensy weensy keyboard, and pain and numbness in my hands, some of the blogging tools I use do have a mobile component to them. I could actually “phone in” the posts via SMS, but I haven’t tried that yet. The barrier for me is composing 250-500 words on miniature equipment.

3. M-Marketing. Because of my own tech limitations, I haven’t even begun experimenting with mobile social networks like Peperonity, Zannel, Qik, or ItsMy. I’m beginning to feel the weight of guilt for not being far enough ahead to give my clients the benefit of that experience. How much are we missing without that mobile exposure? I’d argue that unless my clients are trying to reach the audiences who have the right devices and are using these networks (they aren’t), we still have time. Still, I feel I need to be testing these sites out now yet don’t have the tech capabilities to do so.

4. M-Coordination. I’m barely using SMS for anything else other than texting friends and family. If I need to contact someone related to my work, it is email first, project management web sites next, and by phone – as in voice – as last resort. I’m sure I could make a shift, but I think I’d have to start with email communications, and that in itself is still going to be a big leap.

5. M-Communications. Even if I could get my email on one of my mobile devices, I’m still not sure I could process it properly through my squinting eyes, even wearing my reading glasses. I’m not even willing to get any of my Twitter messages on my cell phone because I fear the flood gates will open, and I will no longer be able to control the information overload. But if I’m going to start somewhere with my mobile workability, this is definitely the place to start. If I can get the right equipment and then wrap my head around email on a mobile device (much less be able to read it), then I think the rest of this mobile landscape will come into focus for me – both literally and figuratively.

What I’m really wondering is: Is the pressure I’m feeling to go more mobile because it really is the new way of working or because I’m simply in an industry where I need to stay as close to one step ahead as humanly possible to be viable and to be taken seriously?

What is your mobile device landscape and how are you the ways you are really working with your handhelds?

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What to Watch While the Writers Strike

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:00:42 +0000

The new episodes of your favorite old teevee shows are running out (why can’t those writers and studios just hurry up and make nice?). Sure, there are some mid-season replacements to help ease the pain, but those won’t last long, and things are looking grim for the 2008 season. And although everyone keeps saying you should check out the cool web shows, maybe you don’t know where to begin. That’s where we come in, with this handy guide to finding your favorite new teevee shows.

Disclaimer: These web shows won’t have the same “production values” or “good acting” as those high-falutin’ traditional TV programs. But they’re better than Deal or No Deal.

If you miss the edgy animation of Family Guy…then you must watch Channel Frederator, in particular The Meth Minute 39. The series delivers fantastic animated shorts; it’s just pure, wacked-out comedic bliss.

If you miss the broad relationship comedy of How I Met Your Mother…then try Life from the Inside, a sitcom about apartment dwellers trying to make it in the world.

If you miss the low-key humor of The Office…you might enjoy either Break A Leg or Mr. Deity.

Think of Break A Leg as Arrested Development-lite. It has the same slightly absurdist humor mixed with deadpan delivery.

By all accounts, I should hate Mr. Deity. It stars a Michael MacDonald lookalike as God with a mullet and with its mining of obvious religious stories and traditions, it should have been hacky. But the humble delivery and clever writing saves it.

If you miss the otherworldly chills n’ thrills of Supernatural…then turn out the lights and prepare for the creepfest that is Buried Alive. The show features a cast of people all trapped in specially constructed coffins and it will freak…you…out. The only lame thing about it is it doesn’t have embedding.

If you miss the emotionally wrought, soapy drama of Grey’s Anatomy…you might want to watch quarterlife. I’ve dinged quarterlife before, and series creator Marshall Herskovitz probably won’t be inviting me over for dinner anytime soon — but the show is well-produced and has an actual story.

quarterlife – part 1

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Of course, if you’re jonesing for the old teevee you know and love, you can check out current and classic shows for free online, courtesy of Hulu and the network sites, or a bunch of other places that lift Hulu content.

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New Zune software to support one-click podcast subscriptions

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:01:17 +0000

This is a bit of a "catch-up" move, but a good one nonetheless. Zune Insider reports that the new Zune Marketplace software will support one-click podcast subscriptions, similar to iTunes. You’ve probably seen the iTunes chicklet on a podcast home page; if you click it, it opens up iTunes and automatically subscribes you to the podcast. We have one for the MobileTechRoundup show due to that ease of use and because iTunes is among the biggest podcast directories around. The same concept will apply with the Zune chicklet; click it and Zune Marketplace will open to add the podcast to your subscription list.

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Mobile Do Not Call Hoax

Om Malik — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 19:10:10 +0000

CNET News.com: A hoax email prompted more than 9.5 million Americans to add their mobile numbers to the national Do Not Call list in last week alone, according to its governing agency the Federal Trade Commission.

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