We’re here with another Coworking Values Podcast where we bring you the lowdown on what is happening in and around our community.
For this episode, we are having Alanna Imbach, Founder/CEO of Vibe Coworks.
We are going to be talking about how social inequality is driving women out of the workforce. How the coworking community can address this and help bring women back into the workforce.
Some points from the podcast:
– The most important aspect for me is the flexibility it provides. So, if we, hopefully, this is a past tense thing that doesn’t need to happen again. However, in our case, we are co-housed in a building with a restaurant, so even if the restaurant was completely shut down, we were able to continue operating. I think the sheer flexibility that coworking spaces offer of trusting that people can come in when they need to get their work done, they can leave when they’re done, they don’t have to, in our case, commute into Seattle, which is a four hour round trip ordeal saves people time. And for those who have taken COVID as an opportunity or have been forced to go out on their own with their own businesses. The community support found in coworking spaces is enormous in terms of connecting them with resources and helping them believe that they can do it and not feel so lonely on their entrepreneurial journey. (6.49)
– We’re not hearing everyone’s voices around the table in so many parts of our society, and certainly in our community here. And it’s both obvious and infuriating to me. And I’m sitting at tables that are extremely privileged. So I felt compelled to vent about it in order to see what solutions we could come up with. But, as you pointed out, even the Coworking world is a privileged one. So, you know, I needed to acknowledge and recognise that, and I really sat back and started thinking about so many people in our community who are suffering, struggling, and facing obstacles in many ways that are far greater than any of mine personally. So, as Coworking leaders, what can we do to try to turn the tables? And I’m not sure I have all of the answers. We have some ideas for directions we’d like to take, certainly to make our space more inclusive, to bring more people around the table here to elevate more voices. However, it is a challenge. (14.58)
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