Previously, we focused on the human need to be supported by others to truly thrive at work. Especially as the peer support, knowledge exchange, and meaningful connections—a bit paradoxically—enhance rather than hinder our competitive potential in today’s fast-paced job market. We delved into the idea of joining and co-building a professional community as a neat alternative to the tiresome networking, a term and process that many grew weary of.

The dissolving social aspect of work

Firstly, it is relatively harder in general to form connections around work-related issues than, for example, around a hobby. Even though work is a major part of life, and throughout centuries, our identities have been built around our professions, nowadays we strive to separate it from our private affairs and maintain a healthier work-life balance. This trend, positive in general, may at times go hand in hand with less eagerness to engage in collaborative and social activities at work. This, in turn, lowers overall work quality.

Secondly, joining and contributing to a community is not equally easy for professionals in all industries and types of work. For instance, in corporations, increasingly hybrid and remote office spaces cause limited informal interactions between colleagues. In our view, despite a range of benefits, such circumstances negatively affect the team spirit. Yes, mechanisms to handle it are put in place, and we become more and more comfortable working online. However, many new developments pose equally many new challenges in extracting the benefits of the work’s social aspects. 

Company without a company?

Still, a corporation is a company. And it is not a coincidence that the word “company” describes a working collective. It signals the presence of others, closer or further, nonetheless, certain. The presence of a team. But what about the entrepreneurs and… freelancers? Especially at the beginning of their careers or when they try individual work for the first time? What are their options to build a peer-professional community? (If they wish so.)

Community-oriented platforms for professionals in specific sectors prove that freelancing work does not need to be free from the company. Freelancers might need the assistance of others even more, as they are left on their own in arranging formalities, commencing business activities, looking for development opportunities, or finding avenues for interaction with fellow experts. 

If the hobby-oriented hubs or fanbases remain enjoyable and accessible communities for independent individuals, why not form the common ground of the community on the will to professionally develop and exchange opportunities? In the upcoming blog post, we will explore how the ExpertHub addresses this question, especially within the ICT sector.

In the meantime, why not joinExpertHub already?