There are exciting recent developments in location-independent work that make it possible, and relatively easy, to travel the world while you work without giving up things like a membership at a coworking space or even the community of people you normally work with. That’s what this talk is about. So how is that future? It’s not. When I say future, I really mean now. I start with practical examples of what’s out there. Simple (coworking space listing services) to more complete packages (a year with the same community). Next I'll consider some of the broader changes in work lifestyle that help explain the sudden growth in these programs.

1. Will Bennis
Locus Workspace
24 May 2016
The future of location-
independent work:
Shared offices--and office mates--that
travel the world with you

2. Coworking space
LISTING SERVICES
 The coworking wiki (http://wiki.coworking.org)
 Nomad List (nomadlist.com)
 ShareDesk (www.sharedesk.net)
 workfrom (workfrom.co)
 LiQUIDSPACE (liquidspace.com)
 Desks Near Me (desksnear.me)
 DESK*WORKS (desk.works)
 Etc.

3. SHARED MEMBERSHIPS
across coworking spaces
 The Coworking Visa
 List (wiki.coworking.org)
 Map (www.coworkingvisamap.com)
 Copass (copass.org)
 League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces
(lexc.org)
 Coworking Without Borders
(coworkingwithoutborders.com)
 CoWAG (cowag.co)
 ROAM (roam.co)
 Etc.

4. Coworking & CO-LIVING
(1 month unless otherwise stated)
 Coworking Camp (coworking.camp)
 DNX Camp (www.dnxcamp.com)
 nomadicHUB (nomadichub.com)
 Cowork Paradise (www.coworkparadise.com) in
Bali
 The Entrepreneur House
(theentrepreneurhouse.com)
 Hacker Paradise (www.hackerparadise.org) – 2 –
12 weeks
 Coboat (www.coboat.org) – 1 week or longer
 There is much more (e.g…)

5. Coworking & co-living
More than 1 month
 World Workation (worldworkation.com)
3 months, 3 countries
 The Remote Experience
(www.theremoteexperience.com)
4 months, 4 countries, 30 people
 Cowork The World
(www.coworktheworld.com/tours)
 Remote Year (www.remoteyear.com)
12 months, 12 locations, 75 people
 My Wander Year
(http://www.mywanderyear.com/)

6. But why now?
http://www.perftrends.com/why_perftrends.html

7. 3 big changes in work lifestyle
 Dramatic (global) increase in location-
independent work
 The rise of coworking
 Dramatic increase in digital nomadism

8. Dramatic increase in
LOCATION INDEPENDENT WORK

9. United States
 MBO Partners 2015 report:
 17.8 million full-time independent workers in the US.
 30.2 million full- & part-time
 Projected to increase by 27% by 2020 (compared to
5.4% for workforce as a whole)

10. Survey at Global Leadership Summit,
London
 34% of business leaders said more than ½
company’s full-time workforce would be working
remotely by 2020.
 25% said more than ¾ would not work in a
traditional office

11. European Forum of Independent
Professionals
 More than 45% increase between 2004 & 2013 in
independent professionals in EU27
 Fastest growing group in EU labor market

12. The rise of
COWORKING

13. Sprial Muse

14. Coworking Facility Forecast

15. Coworking Member Forecast

16. Dramatic increase in
DIGITAL NOMADISM
http://www.inc.com/matt-cooper/why-your-business-needs-digital-nomads.htm

17. But this just pushes the question
one step back.

18. Some answers
 The obvious: Technology:
 More than 9 in 10 agree, “technology is making it
easier to work wherever you want” (oDesk survey).
 Company profits
 “In New York, office space per employee costs on
average $14,800 annually” (Marketwatch.com, May
2015).
 Costs of employment vs. hiring freelancers
 Employee satisfaction & productivity
 Increasing individualism around the globe
 Increasing need for social connectedness

19. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Ma
slow

20. Brad Neuberg, Aug. 9, 2005:
First public use of the term coworking
“Traditionally, society forces us to choose between
working at home for ourselves or working at an office for
a company. If we work at a traditional 9 to 5 company
job, we get community and structure, but lose freedom
and the ability to control our own lives. If we work for
ourselves at home, we gain independence but suffer
loneliness and bad habits from not being surrounded by
a work community.
Coworking is a solution to this problem. In coworking,
independent writers, programmers, and creators come
together in community a few days a week. Coworking
provides the "office of a traditional corporate job, but in
a very unique way.”