Working Smarter
With an incredible 63% of UK employees now working flexibly, gone are the days of the standard 9-5!
In recent years – and particularly following the coronavirus pandemic – employers have smartened up to the fact that flexible working is all about work/life balance and are consequently offering alternative solutions to their employee’s hours and working locations.
As a result, they’re finding that they get a great deal more from their workforce than they do from the typical 9-5 rigid office routine. At the end of the day, if an employee feels respected and worthy and able to manage their home life as well as their work-life, then a balance is maintained and they are more than likely to be more motivated and empowered, meaning they are more productive within their roles.
Location, Location, Location
Of course, flexible working encompasses a variety of options, but more and more employees are now working from home – and this is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future.
For those employees who don’t work in a typical office environment, you may also find that they don’t want to be holed-up in their houses for the entire working week and may prefer to work in a different location such as a café, restaurant, hotel or co-working space.
Pictured here: Marcelo Bar Stools and Marcelo Side Chairs
However, recent research has uncovered what is now commonly referred to as 'the coffee shop effect', where employees report greater productivity and increased focus working in cafés and coffee shops due to the background buzz and lack of interruptions from colleagues.
Therefore, now’s a better time than ever to invite workers to hit the grindstone at your venue! Read on to discover what we believe to be the most important items to consider when looking at targeting this particular market…
6 things your café should offer to make it a successful remote working space:
1. Wi-Fi
Although this may seem obvious, but Wi-Fi is an absolute
necessity. The move from on-premises solutions to cloud technology has been a
significant enabler when it comes to flexible working! Employees can now access their business applications from a web
browser on a phone, tablet or desktop using readily available Wi-Fi, and this
has opened a whole new world when it comes to the way we work.
2. Contemporary
café furniture
There’s café furniture and then there’s CAFÉ furniture. It’s
important to make sure your venue is kitted out with contract café furniture
items as opposed to domestic items, because the wear and tear, as mentioned in
many a previous article, is huge!
Also, for working and general customer purposes, you
want your café to be a comfortable place to sit, so it’s worth
considering a mix of contemporary café furniture, including coffee tables, low
stools and tub chairs as well as sofas, café tables and chairs.
You might also want to consider fixed seating. Booths and banquettes can significantly enhance the atmosphere and functionality of your café, they’re ideal for maximising seating capacity whilst offering a more relaxed seating area. They're also easily cleaned, maintained and repaired if needed.
Pictured here: Lattani Side Chairs and Castano Table Bases
3. Food & Drink
As a café, you will undoubtedly have an abundance of healthy
food and drink options available on your menu to feed the working brain!
However, it could be worth also offering bottomless coffee or a loyalty card
for those patrons who are with you for longer periods of time or on more
occasions.
4. Power Outlets
If someone is working at your venue all morning or even for the majority of the day, then they will undoubtedly need a power outlet to recharge their phone and or laptop. So, make sure there are enough plug sockets for this purpose.
On the theme of power, ensure that you also have adequate lighting installed across your venue to ensure workers can see comfortably and avoid eye strain whilst looking at device screens.
5. Additional Space
Do you have just the one room which caters for all of your customers, or are there other spaces available? If you have additional areas, you could think about reserving these specifically for those customers looking to work and perhaps those employees looking for a slightly quieter area.
You could even charge a membership fee for a bit of extra income!
6. Marketing
Are your regulars aware that you have these facilities and are actively promoting your venue as a work area? Make sure you shout about what you do in any way possible, including digital marketing avenues such as social media and your website, as well as printed materials and through good old-fashioned word-of-mouth!
Ready to turn your café into a remote or co-working space?
Shop our contract café furniture now to discover the wide variety of items we have available. We are also able to offer next-day delivery on in-stock products, so you’ll have everything you need to transform your café into a remote or co-working space in a flash!
If you have any questions, please give our dedicated Customer Success Team a call on 01452 336520 and they'll be delighted to help.
