Imagine taking a client call in the middle of London Zoo, talking amongst a pride of lions or a troop of chimpanzees. This may have seemed like a crazy concept a few years ago, but for some workers, it’s now a reality.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Employees have long been waiting for a more versatile work arrangement, and 2020 forced a new way upon us.
While many people were satisfied with the binary structure offered by hybrid working, some were screaming out for a more flexible way of working, calling for more control over how, when, and where we work—even if amongst the lions.
The answer: fluid working.
This new future-facing way of working centres around creating an adaptable and secure way of working that isn’t tied to a specific physical space, but instead, a state of mind.
But how can you create an environment that accommodates that being at work is now a state of mind, rather than a physical place?
While the nature of fluid work means that where and how you work is completely up to you, there is more to creating an ‘office-like’ state of mind than a desk and a lamp. And just like the office, the goal of fluid working is to be somewhere you can mentally be your most productive.
Fluid working is all about being flexible and being flexible is enabled by having the right technology to keep you connected and your work game undisturbed, wherever.
To ensure that you can keep the work momentum going remotely, we’ve put together a guide highlighting fluid working spaces you and your team can take advantage of.
Coffee shops and cafés
Working in a coffee shop is not just for hopeless romantics and hipsters, some of the most creative minds in history have worked out their ideas in the local café—Bob Dylan, Picasso, and Simone De Beauvoir are amongst the famous faces who have found inspiration amongst the coffee clad tables.
But why do we love working at coffee shops and cafés? Is it the close proximity to caffeine, the unsocial social aspect, ambient noise or the pressure to be productive as everyone around you?
Studies show there is more than one reason, and spoiler alert: it’s all the above.
Known as The Coffee Shop Effect, the stimuli in these places make them effective fluid working environments due to the combination of noise, visual variety, and casual conversation, giving us the right amount of distraction to help us be our most effective.
As in the office, concentration is contagious. So, when we are surrounded by other like-minded people who have their heads down working, chances are, we will too. Paired with background noise, these places, when not overwhelming, can enhance cognitive flexibility—making them a perfect fluid working environment.
The continuous, low-level ambient noise can enhance creative performance by promoting abstract processing, which allows us to see beyond an idea and focus on the bigger picture. Though, care needs to be taken to ensure your meetings are at least as good as if you were sat together in person. Investing in Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones would be a good shout to eliminate the risk of becoming distracted or becoming a distraction to those around you.