Maybe it’s my Yorkshire roots, a county famed for not doing ‘owt for nowt’ , but the idea of nursing a brew or cup of coffee for hours while blatantly making use of free WiFi goes against the grain.
If you’re reading this in a cafe (hopefully not guilty as charged) look around and there may well be someone hammering away on a laptop, earbuds in place, with a ‘leave me alone’ demeanour.
If you’re the owner of the cafe, I feel your pain!
Hybrid or working remotely is something increasingly enjoyed by employees as well as freelancers.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies reported that one in three of us now make up workers enjoying some form of hybrid working split between home and office.
But as social people who enjoy the company of others, getting out of home is not only useful to keep in touch but also often a welcome change from the same four walls.
But staying connected by finding a good strong WiFi becomes as important as that mid-morning coffee hit, hence the numbers regularly ‘squatting’ as one friend admits, in the corner seat of a well-known chain.
Yet around Cumbria and north Lancashire there are a number of workspaces, set up specifically for those of us who enjoy a peripatetic lifestyle.
One example is The Vicky in Cockermouth.
Faced with a three-hour gap between interviews and an ever-demanding editor* I was recently in need of somewhere to write up and edit a piece.
Just off Main Street, down one of the town’s picturesque terraced streets is a discreet sign which guides you to what was a Victorian era chapel.
Inside it’s been lovingly restored and offers light and airy accommodation should you have time to look up from your laptop.
Dave Bealt offers a warm welcome and made me a brew (I think it was Yorkshire Tea too) before leaving me to log onto the WiFi and crack on with a Business Crack article or two.
Three others were busy working away with one making use of the meeting pod, a more private meeting space for up to four people. Along with private office space there are meeting facilities available too all offering high speed WiFi.
There’s a small kitchen, loo and a sense that you’re part of a growing community making the most of the benefits of working in a hybrid way. I particularly liked how the blackboard in the kitchen had details of the drink preferences of the regular visitors – very homely!
You can pay as you go or take up the monthly offer.
Maybe it was the calming atmosphere of the chapel but the three hours sailed by and as I headed to my next interview, I felt productive, chilled and refreshed.
*It was my editor’s suggestion to use The Vicky as a place to work.
