Pubs are the ideal places to take a break from your own four walls and many pubs are now offering hot-desking packages, some that are inclusive of a light lunch, unlimited coffees, and some even throw in a pint at the end of your working day! What’s not to love?
Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a huge shift to homeworking. First, by Government mandate and then slowly after, by choice.
Many businesses, after realising that working from home was in fact, viable (and an opportunity to slash overheads) have even closed their offices for good – those that have remained, have in a large part shifted attitudes, introducing the hybrid example of working which offers a flexible intermittent home/office approach.
With the removal of the commute and the ability to literally, wake up and work there has been a gradual increase in hours being worked, but in parallel to this, also an increase in productivity and worker happiness! (source)
Once one of the most widely denied HR requests, flexible home working is now helping to shape a new era of working norms – Many fringe benefits can be seen from this shift including closing gaps in inequality, (notable increases in the amount of time fathers have spent caring for their children during this period, could help to accelerate changes in gender norms and be helpful for mothers’ careers source ) job satisfaction, work/life balance and creating a more inclusive workforce.
Whilst the future looks somewhat rosy for the WFH/Hybrid era, it will also pose some challenges and have external impacts especially on local businesses in our own sector, hospitality, that may be reliant upon local office trade. The WFH model could also see us reaching for the thermostat a lot more this winter, against a backdrop of huge fuel increases, rising living costs, and plummeting temperatures this could be a real issue for many who are now having to heat their homes for 7 hours a day more than they did pre-pandemic.
Then we have the social aspects: Working from home has put an isolated nation, into further isolation. It has capped our face-to-face interactions and potentially could reduce the creative collaborative benefits of working side by side with colleagues.
So, whilst it seems the pros may tip the axis when it comes to WFH, and it looks ever likely this is here to stay in some format or another – where is the happy medium?
Enter – the ‘Work-cation’ or as we like to call it the ‘Pub-cation’
Could pubs be the answer, to our WFH woes?
- Steady Internet Connection ✔️
- Warm welcoming Environment ✔️
- Freshly brewed Coffees and refreshments ✔️
- Varied Desk Space and access to power ✔️
- Pint at the ready to celebrate our day's work ✔️✔️✔️
Pubs are the ideal places to take a break from your own four walls and many pubs are now offering hot-desking packages, some that are inclusive of a light lunch, unlimited coffees, and some even throw in a pint at the end of your working day! What’s not to love?
Most people have access to or know of a pub that has decent capacity, quieter daytime trading, and the essential tick list to make this work. And what’s more, you aren’t paying the heating bill! The obvious change of scenery benefits also applies, alongside offering a safe, covid secured environment to meet up in, work alongside colleagues, and reinvigorate those creative juices.
What’s more, you know that your coffee, your working lunch, or your after-work pint is helping heal some of the losses that this industry has incurred over the last two years. Supporting local, in your local really is a win-win situation.
So maybe, when you feel the walls closing in – or you are planning a team meet-up or even a one on one catch up you will consider a pub as a decent choice. Lord knows that every hour of trade matters to these hard-hit venues and frankly, the thought of a Gin and Tonic, made to order at 5pm as I close my laptop is enough to skyrocket my productivity!
Image credit: Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels