KINKO’s NEW TRENT IN NATION’s WORKFORCE

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Kinko’s Generation represents new trend in Nation’s workforce
The Kinko’s Generation represents employees who spend significant hours working outside the traditional office.They’ve got a third workplace — not the home, not the office, but the local coffee shop, where they can surf the Web and conduct business in a less frenetic environment.”This is like ‘Cheers,’ only with coffee instead of beer,” said Joshua Lambert, who works as a data processor.But it’s not just the cup o’ joe that draws Lambert to Unlimited Coffee in Phoenix.Lambert is part of a growing trend in the workforce known as the Kinko’s Generation.Call it the office of the future, except the future is here. Thirty million Americans who take up a “third space” for work. According to USATODAY.com, that number is growing 10 percent each year.”Sixty percent of our business is Wi-Fi people bringing lap tops, surfing the Internet,” said Hans Mathiesen, owner of Unlimited Coffee.In fact, Unlimited Coffee opened its doors specifically for business professionals.”We’ve had several law firms start up in coffee houses, as well as an ink toner company that showed up very first day,”Mathiesen said.Instead of fighting for workspace at a small table, Kinko’s Generationers have wide tables and a 16-foot-long table to choose from, an area that graphic designer Duke Clark uses to conduct his business meetings.”It keeps my expenses down,” he said. “Don’t have to fork out for coffee, doughnuts, also for hot summer months. Don’t have to pay for air-conditioning.”Cutting overhead costs keeps professionals like Lambert and Clark returning day after day.Stimulated by the atmosphere, the efficiency and, of course, the jolt of caffeine.Don’t forget there is cafe etiquette. Tip big, eat often, and think of those hourly lattés or scones as rent for your table.And bring quarters for the meter. Nothing drives virtual office workers crazier than being asked for quarters to feed the meter.

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October 16, 2006 at 11:00 AM