Not working from Home
Hybrid working needn’t be as two-dimensional as working from either the office or home. With pandemic restrictions loosened, many people are turning to hotels, cafes and bars as an alternative to co-working spaces and offices — giving a much-needed boost to the hospitality sector. These so-called “third spaces” are growing in popularity for people who crave some kind of buzz and atmosphere while they work, but aren’t yet ready for office, or even co-working environments. Researchers from the Business School at City University of London, and University of London, visited 36 different venues in London, including coffee houses, pubs, hotel bars, churches, museums, libraries and train stations to conduct in-depth interviews with customers who regularly work from such spaces. Workers experienced better productivity and greater motivation than home working, with third spaces offering the health and well-being benefits of socializing and mitigate isolation the interviews revealed. They also felt a sense of belonging that can’t always be achieved from home working. “Within People” launched their business eight years ago with a “no office” principle. The globally distributed team has regularly worked from restaurants, coffee shops and bars. For Ellen Cole, who runs her own social media, PR and marketing consultancy from York in the U.K., working from cafes, libraries and hotels helps reduce loneliness. “Simply having someone to talk to and hearing background noise has really helped me with work,” she said.
As autumn approaches, British pub operators are now introducing a new service called “work from pub” (WFP). “Now increasing numbers of pubs are offering WFP deals to boost their revenue in the hope that laptop workers will want a break from their own home energy bills. The 380 pubs in the Fuller’s chain offer WFP deals from $11 a day, including lunch and a drink, while Brewery Young’s has 185 pubs signed up to its $17-a-day deal, which varies from pub to pub, but usually includes a sandwich lunch and bottomless tea and coffee. A WFP customer who is a director at a security consultancy told The Guardian that “For 10 quid you get a bacon sandwich, a table with a plug for the day and free unlimited tea and coffee.” He refuted the idea that it’s challenging to focus in a pub, asserting that it’s simpler to concentrate there because there aren’t any distractions like “gardening, the fridge, and the cats.” As British professionals prepare for a probable increase in their heating expenses as a result of the nation’s cost of living crisis, these bar chains are hoping that the alluring discounts will draw them in.
Working while remotely funny
Working from home – day 6:
Client: “No! This is unacceptable. I want to speak to one of your superiors.”
Me: “Mom?!”
I noticed that when I was in the office, people would always laugh at my jokes, but working from home, people never do. When I asked why, they said my jokes weren’t remotely funny.
Our maid told us that she was going to start working from home.
She sent us a list of things to do.
If you get an email starting with “Knock, Knock” don’t open it.
It’s a Jehovah’s Witness working from home.
October 14th Birthdays
1998 – Ariela Barer, 1989 – Mia Wasikowski, 1992 – Esra Bilgic, 1985 – Sherlyn
1939 – Ralph Lauren, 1988 – Max Theriot, 1978 – Usher, 1927 – Sir Roger Moore