Today is Labor Day in the U.S. so I’d like to write about a phenomenon that has fascinated me for some time: workshifting. The term refers to the practice of people spending at least part of their time away from a traditional office. Often these people work for an otherwise conventional company but have arranged to work from home or, really, anywhere they like.
I first started paying attention to this movement after reading Mike Elgan’s article on the new Bedouins in 2007. The idea was that ubiquitous WiFi and other communication advancements had enabled a new tribe of digital nomads who conducted business from wherever they happened to be. The local coffee shop was a favored locale but some workshifters took it to the extreme, traveling all over the world and using their smart phones and laptops to conduct business pretty much as if they were in a conventional office setting.
My impression is that the first new Bedouins were primarily journalists and those involved in computer related technical fields such as software or Web development. Since its beginnings, workshifting has grown at a rapid pace. There are Web sites, such as workshifting.com devoted to it and people from many different occupations are joining the movement. Basically, anyone who isn’t a factory worker or in retail sales is a candidate, although many managers remain unconvinced.
Writing in the The Atlantic, Sara Horowitz, who founded Freelancers Union, suggests that the surge in workshifting freelancers is a new industrial revolution. Part of this is driven by the poor economy but the movement was growing even before the collapse and is likely attracting new members because of the freedom and enhanced lifestyle that it offers. One thing for sure, the traditional notion of working in an office for a single company for life is fast becoming a thing of the past.
In 2010, The Economist did a special report on the rise of workshifting and the changes it is bringing with it. One of my favorite stories from the report is of an executive at UBS who left his job to form his own consultancy with five other colleagues. At their first meeting they decided that the most urgent priority was to have everyone get a Blackberry, then to start contacting prospective clients. They also decided that at some point they should look into getting office space. The six firm members were busy running around the city and country, keeping in touch with email and IM and never got around to worrying about the office. Later they realized that they didn’t need or want an office so the consultancy became a “virtual company.”
As geeks, all this seems natural and inevitable to us. We understand the tools and many of us live a digital life regardless of our employment status. For the rest of the world, not so much. Managers, especially, are dubious. They worry about how they can manage if they can’t see what their employees are doing. The more forward-looking managers realize the many benefits to be had and have switched to a results oriented work environment (ROWE) style of management. ROWE is a good fit for workshifters and it’s gaining currency.
Workshifting is a really exciting phenomenon and I expect to see it become a large and important part of the economy in the near term. Some would argue that day is already here and that what lies ahead is that it will become the dominant type of employment. One thing for sure, the future is going to be interesting.