The communal office

An increasing number of people work at home -- running a small business or telecommuting.

Yet despite the trend, there is an oft repeated complaint: The feeling of isolation and loneliness.

Workers at home are missing out on watercooler camaraderie, and the networking opportunities it provides.

The problem has become so pervasive -- especially among the growing ranks of telecommuters -- that a new movement is taking shape. It's called "coworking."

People are renting desks in communal work environments, and doing their business next to people in totally different fields.

Coworking spaces are about openness -- in contrast to executive suites where most people keep their doors closed and are more interested in sharing expenses than ideas.

The SoCo Depot in Penngrove, founded by six disgruntled at-home workers in April, is a wide-open space. The only doors are for the entrance, the conference room and the bathroom.

"None of us need confidentiality. We don't need our doors closed. We don't need a receptionist," said Anthony Tusler, who helped establish the coworking space. "What we needed was more interaction with people."

The tenants help one another out.

Tusler is quick to assist with technology problems, while Vanessa Bauch, who is a copywriter, will give someone's project a quick read and provide feedback. And they are always ready to pass along the name of a good accountant or wedding planner.

The SoCo Depot feels a bit like a networking group that decided to meet at an art gallery, and then set up work spaces and refused to leave.

It is membership-based, and potential tenants apply and are interviewed. Rent costs from $250 to $300 a month.

Tusler, who retired as director of the disability resource center at Sonoma State University after 22 years, now works as a disability consultant. He spent seven years working from home. Then he heard about coworking and quickly moved to establish a space in Sonoma County.

"I was going crazy at home," Tusler said. "I found it really difficult to work alone. I was lonely."

Coworking is designed for the corporate class of professional -- people who are not ashamed to say "It's all about networking."

The movement began in San Francisco in 2005. The concept has been around informally for years, maybe decades. But as demand grew and the Internet spread the message, coworking finally got branded and dubbed a movement.

More than 111 cities in North American now have places that identify as coworking spaces, and it has spread to nearly every continent, said Chris Messina, a 27-year-old San Francisco resident who helped start the movement.

"It started with a very basic premise: To create connection between people," Messina said. "Now, there are coworking spaces in Moscow and Brazil. It's insane."

The movement is a grass-roots response to younger generations who expect a mobile work environment, plus corporations pushing employees to work from home, and solo entrepreneurs who still want the feel of a collegial office space, according to Messina and others.

Two things drive people to coworking, Messina said. First, people want a better work-life balance. They don't want to feel like they should be working when home.

Secondly, people need a place to socialize professionally.

An ancillary effect is that people often look for coworking spaces near their homes, and this has helped re-energize a sense of local community by connecting neighbors, Messina said.

The term "coworking" was coined by Ben Neuberg, a friend of Messina's. In a video project they collaborated on, Neuberg said he wanted a work environment filled with smart people, like at Google, but while still working for himself.

"I exactly wanted to replicate what it is like to work at a cool company," Neuberg said.

That sentiment is echoed at the SoCo Depot, where the tenants are open-minded and engaged professionals in different fields. Although unlike in San Francisco, the demographics of the depot's tenants are more in line with Sonoma County's baby boomers than fresh-faced 20-somethings.

Dee Merz, a wedding planner who works from home, dropped by the SoCo Depot last week to take a look at the arrangement. Merz wants an office space outside her home.

"I have a tendency to get up and do laundry at home. Sometimes I feel like I need a seat belt to stay sitting at my desk," she said.

While a collaborative work environment is a positive, some people worry about an invasive co-tenant. But Tusler said it's easy to tell when someone doesn't want to be bothered.

"You can see it on someone's face if they are on deadline," he said. "You learn the signals."

The seven tenants at the SoCo Depot spend about half their work day there, Tusler said. The Depot can accommodate up to 10 members.

Tenants who displayed disruptive or self-destructive behavior would be asked to leave, Tusler said.

For Bauch and others, one big draw is the implicit scrutiny of others in the office. No one wants to be seen slacking off.

"If other people are working hard, you just kind of follow suit," she said. "When I come here, I'm just more efficient."

You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 521-5494 or nathan.halverson@pressdemocrat.com.