忘掉办公室“隔间”,试试“联合办公”

Forget Office Cubicles¹, Try ‘Co-working’ 忘掉办公室“隔间”,试试“联合办公”

WASHINGTON—

When you think of a workspace, the cubicles in a traditional office are probably the first thing that comes to mind. Following Uber and Airbnb, the sharing economy has brought a new kind of work environment to the United States and the world in recent years.

It’s not a bar, nor a coffee shop. And it’s not your bedroom. It’s a so-called co-working space, where an increasing number of Americans work. WeWork is one of the providers of such environments.

“The beauty of the space is that we are a community, we kind of all work together. So, in this building, I can find a lawyer and an accountant.  I can also find somebody to help me with my design, my website development," says Carl Pierre of WeWork-DC.

The new sharing economy is changing the way business has traditionally been done.  The commercial real estate industry is no exception. In Washington and around the world, people from all walks of life are turning to this new kind of work environment, sharing infrastructure², services, events and technology.

At Wework, members have different plans to choose from. The price ranges from 45 to thousands of dollars a month and offers different levels of access to the facilities, such as office equipment, conference rooms, dedicated³ desks, and private working spaces.  Members can even bring their dogs to work.

Erica Ettin is the founder⁴ of A Little Nudge, which helps people with all aspects of online dating.

“I’ve gotten clients from here.  I’ve gotten business contacts.  I had to shoot some videos for something - there’s a company here that shoots videos, and I hired them. It’s just really nice to have a network of people who wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Ettin says.

Cove⁵ is one of the other co-working options for Washington and Boston workers. Adam Segal, its founder and chief executive⁶ officer, says it’s about a whole new experience.

 “What we are trying to facilitate⁷ is that type of lifestyle where you can work whenever and wherever, so you don’t have to be tied going to the same location every day like a typical office,” Cove says.

Segal says the most popular plan is 89 dollars a month to enjoy 4 hours at any of 9 locations in Washington. Members just swipe cards at the entrance.

Freelancer⁸ Lee Canon says Cove provides the flexibility⁹ she wants.

“This sort of space is perfect. Because I’m around people, I feel kind of accountable to be working, but it’s also not noisy. There’s no espresso machine going; there’s no blender going,” Canon says.

What seems to attract millennials most about co-working are network resources and the sense of community. Merav Yuravlivker, a co-founder of Data Society, a company that teaches people how to effectively use data, says it’s about connecting people.  

“A community of over 40,000 people globally is a huge draw for us. So there’s an app we can post anything we need either to the whole community or a particular city,” Yuravlivker says.

The United States is the birthplace of co-working space. The first one was created in San Francisco in 2005. The idea soon spread across the nation and around the world.

1 cubicles   

n.小卧室，斗室( cubicle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Security guards, operating inside bullet-proof glass cubicles, and speaking through microphones, scrutinized every arrival and departure. 警卫们在装有防弹玻璃的小室里值勤，通过麦克风细致盘问每一个进出的人。 来自辞典例句
• I guess they thought me content to stay in cubicles. 我猜他们认为我愿意呆在小房间里。 来自互联网

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

6 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

7 facilitate   

vt.使容易（便利）推进，促进

参考例句：

• Modern inventions facilitate housework.许多现代发明便利了家务劳动。
• The new airport will facilitate the development of tourism.新机场将促进旅游业的发展。

8 freelancer   

n.自由职业者

参考例句：

• He has great interest in working as a freelancer.他对做个自由职业人很感兴趣。
• It's not always easy to make it as a freelancer.做个自由职业人，要能时常感觉满足，可不容易。

9 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。