How much does it cost to have high availability touchdown office space? 99p an hour that’s how much.
If your work requires you to be about and about, if you are always on the move then having access to somewhere where you can connect to your systems in a secure way, to make use of that spare hour that you have between appointments can make the difference between being on top or chasing your tail. But don’t worry, office space is available in every sizable town. Just grab your laptop or tablet and head for the golden arches. They are called McDonalds*. There are over twelve hundred in the UK and so you should never be that far away from one.
99 pence buys you a cup of tea and while you drink it you can make use of the free Wi-Fi. By using a secure Virtual Private Network client with dual factor authentication in a minute or so you are up and running with a desk and a comfortable seat. There are even toilets and of course refreshments. The only thing that you will lack for is electricity. I have never tested this however but have assumed that plugging your device into a wall socket would be frowned upon and so make sure that your battery is well charged. (By the way, if you are really smart and use the loyalty card attached to the side of the cup you can get a free seventh cup for the price of six, reducing the cost to 85p per hour.)
OK so there are some downsides. People keep coming in and out, ordering food, the smell of which can drive you crazy. Kids play in the area set aside for them and make a lot of noise which competes with the musak that is a constant background and then there is the mild feeling of guilt that you are doing something which isn’t quite right or fair. I’m not suggesting that this represents a serious alternative to ease your accommodation problems but for short drop down periods, allowing you to catch up and keep up to date it is definitely a viable option.
So here I am, looking out on the car park and sipping on my cup of tea. My email is up to date and I’m working on all of the documents that I need. I’m also working, if that is what it could be called, writing this blog. How agile is that?
*Other restaurants are available.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 