Workplace
Freelancers keeping company
“Laptop nomads” are getting a little less lonely, said Ilana DeBare in the
San Francisco Chronicle. A movement known as co-working gives independent types an alternative to working at home or camping out in cafes. “In co-working, a group of freelancers or other solo entrepreneurs shares one big office space with perks that they might not get at home, such as conference rooms, espresso machines, and opportunities for socializing.” Co-workers can either drop in or rent a dedicated area in spaces “ranging from funky industrial lofts to sleeker sites with a more corporate ambience.”
In Manhattan, In Good Company Workplaces caters to female entrepreneurs, said Marci Alboher in The New York Times. “The company’s menu of offerings reads like a gym membership, with an annual fee and various options based on how many hours of desk and meeting-room time the entrepreneur wants to rent each month.” A basic membership is $300 a year, though there are extra fees for renting desk space or conference rooms. The idea makes sense, says Nell Merlino, founder of the nonprofit microlender Count Me In—as long as it’s not an excuse to socialize. “The focus has got to be about growth” for your businesses, she said, “not just ‘I want to go and hang out with other people.’”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published