Life in a Business Share
Increasingly, professionals in Germany are obliged to be flexible. Part-time employment, time-limited work contracts, a variety of clients: today, many remain on a given job only briefly, and must continually change addresses. The "business share" is a new form of residence which has begun to establish itself throughout Germany. So far, Düsseldorf and Hamburg have served as testing grounds for these living coops, but similar concepts are currently in planning in many other large cities. Job nomads are accommodated in large residences, which may have up to 50 occupants. The price for a furnished room, common kitchen, and shared bathroom is not small - and may run as high as 600 euros. In exchange, they avoid long-term commitments, can "check out" at any time, avoiding time-consuming notice periods and agent's fees. The users are young professionals who must travel quickly to a new city for a job, and simply have no time to search for an apartment beforehand. Others are established businesspeople who commute between job and family, and don't know how long this situation is to continue. The concept is designed for people between 20 and 40 years of age. The large-scale apartment share is cheaper than a hotel, and offers a variegated social work.
For this ZDF reportage, we accompany individuals who have decided – for a variety of reasons and in response to a range of personal situations – to live in such a business share for a period of time. What is everyday life like in such a setting? What characterizes this flexible generation of professionals?
