The image of the lonely, pyjama-clad freelancer toiling away at home has become a cliché in the modern working world. And it’s one that the coworking community wants to change.
In practical terms, coworking spaces give self-employed people somewhere to work other than a dining table or a coffee shop. But many strive to provide their members with more than just a rented desk.
Now, coworking has become a worldwide movement that offers solutions to broader problems facing the growing number of independent workers.
As the labour market continues to shift from one where companies hire full-time permanent employees to one where they’re more likely to take on freelance and contract workers, perks like benefits, pensions and job stability are hard to come by.
While governments struggle to adjust employment laws to fit the changing nature of work, coworkers aren’t waiting around for policy to catch up to their reality.
“Coworking in general is serving the needs for a lot of the independent workforce,
said Ashley Proctor, the Vancouver-based executive producer of the Global Coworking Unconference Conference.