The politics of transforming social relations of work: making sense of a coworking hub in an outer-urban region

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of focus group participants.

Participant characteristics	Description
Age range	28–72 years
Gender	12 females 13 males
Occupation	9 Business advisor/consultancy 6 Training/career advisory 4 IT/marketing business 4 Creative/design 2 Currently developing business concepts while remaining in full-time corporate employment
Membership status	10 joined the coworking space within the first year of its foundation (2-year members) 8 joined during the last year (users) 7 newcomers

Table 2. Summary of common ground themes.

Common ground: Needs and problems addressed by The Hub
Needs that drive establishment of The Hub	Social connection – Desire to counteract social isolation of working from home
	Financial and resource constraints – ICT, sub-optimum Internet – Office space and equipment
	Sustainability and liveability – Reduction of long commute to the CBD for employment – Impact of long hours on households and family life – Socio-economic issues, building local economy
	Financial capital – Lack of financial resources to establish The Hub
	Regulatory constraints – Legal requirements impede securement of permanent physical space
	Stigma of outer suburbia – Lack of clients willing to travel to this outer-suburb