I love coffee.  I am very fussy about it too.  Yes, I am one of those people. 

Accordingly, I follow a number of my favourite, local independent coffee shops on Instagram.  In recent weeks I have seen two of them make polite requests on their socials for people to stop what I am going to call ‘coffee squatting’.  In other words, remote workers using their space and WiFi, sometimes for hours at a time, but only buying one coffee.  This obviously takes up space that other paying customers could be using and potentially damages their revenues.

I have also seen the issue being discussed on LinkedIn.  Some coffee shops are apparently launching remote worker policies or etiquette guides to ensure that their spaces work for all users – and to protect their profits.   One suggestion to the issue was that coffee shops lean into this new market and target remote workers, making the space suitable and selling day or week worker packages.  Of course, this model might suit some but not all (thinking of one of the my local shops that only has a handful of seats). 

This is just one of those many ways that the pandemic inspired move to remote work has shifted how we live and work.  Another example here is the collapse of the use of season tickets on train journeys. Something that perhaps providers should have seen coming and adapted for in their business models and offered products.

Some of these shifts are already evident, whereas others, especially those linked to commercial property still tied into long leases, are yet to emerge.  The shift to remote work ripples outwards influencing organisations other than the office, consumer decisions, housing decisions….. the list goes on.

But back to coffee for a moment.  The idea of the third space is nothing new.  These are environments in which people can work, but are neither workplace nor home.  Places that people can meet and collaborate. They might be co-working spaces, hotel lounges, hubs, and yes, coffee shops.  Some organisations are trying to create that third space feel in their offices, to support in-person collaboration for hybrid workers.  All of these trends are ones to watch and potential new opportunities for organisations and their employees. But in the meantime, as remote work continues to become an embedded feature of our labour market, if you go into an independent coffee shop, don’t be a coffee squatter.

One final thought….. is the Flat White the new Watercooler?