Who I am sharing office and spending time with during the professional part of my life is not necessarily my colleagues. Actually, I rather share office with friends I know and appreciate from a personal and social perspective - people I would like to spend time with - than colleagues with limited social equality.
And in fact – the main reason for sharing office with colleagues is interaction and availability related to my profession – sharing kowledge and experiences. Guess what – in 2010 you don’t need to physically share office to interact, share or being available. As a matter of fact you can move around and locate anywhere and still be very available and easily interact with anyone – 24/7 - at no cost. You can skype with camera, audio or chat. And if required – you can show up in person – but that is only happening occasionally. No interuptions, nobody bothering you unnecessary.
And you have fun. You share office with good friends and people you really enjoy being together with. This is motivating, inspiring and unleash lot’s of energy. Exactly what you need to perform well and deal with the daily challenges.
When do I see my colleagues ? Every day – not necessarily in person. But we share, exchange experiences and solve problems – by using tools particularly designed to do exactly that. And when required – I show up in person and meet with my colleagues. But only when required……
The old paradigm with offices to every employee located together is history. An intermediate step might be the open office solutions where you don’t have your own office or desk – you just show up and grab the first available desk. Why is that ? Because everyone is on the run moving around meeting with partners, suppliers, customers or whatever. Or they are working from home, from their summerhouse, from a café or wherever suitable. This is a compromise.
But ultimately I want full flexibility on where I locate and when - and who I spend my time with - 24/7 !
So why not share office with friends - and still work with colleagues ?
And in fact – the main reason for sharing office with colleagues is interaction and availability related to my profession – sharing kowledge and experiences. Guess what – in 2010 you don’t need to physically share office to interact, share or being available. As a matter of fact you can move around and locate anywhere and still be very available and easily interact with anyone – 24/7 - at no cost. You can skype with camera, audio or chat. And if required – you can show up in person – but that is only happening occasionally. No interuptions, nobody bothering you unnecessary.
And you have fun. You share office with good friends and people you really enjoy being together with. This is motivating, inspiring and unleash lot’s of energy. Exactly what you need to perform well and deal with the daily challenges.
When do I see my colleagues ? Every day – not necessarily in person. But we share, exchange experiences and solve problems – by using tools particularly designed to do exactly that. And when required – I show up in person and meet with my colleagues. But only when required……
The old paradigm with offices to every employee located together is history. An intermediate step might be the open office solutions where you don’t have your own office or desk – you just show up and grab the first available desk. Why is that ? Because everyone is on the run moving around meeting with partners, suppliers, customers or whatever. Or they are working from home, from their summerhouse, from a café or wherever suitable. This is a compromise.
But ultimately I want full flexibility on where I locate and when - and who I spend my time with - 24/7 !
So why not share office with friends - and still work with colleagues ?