I miss the coffee shops

Something that has changed, at least for us, is the number of coffee shops that are available where you can sit and do a bit of work during the day. Prior to the pandemic, there were so many different coffee shops where you could either grab your computer or a notebook or tablet, and you could sit and get some work done. Being able to sit and work on things was so nice, and it is something that I have missed because so many of the locations that we went to have now closed, which is very disappointing.

What we had the habit of doing is taking our computers a couple of times a month and going to a coffee shop and buying some coffee (normally more than one cup each) and sitting and working on the various things that needed our attention. Being at a coffee shop also meant that we were sitting together and were able to discuss things, which also was nice. When you work in a home office, there are quite often hours that you don’t see the other person as we are both working on our separate things.

Something that has helped me get over the lack of coffee shops is figuring out the different spots at home where I can get some writing done. I sometimes will either grab my tablet or my journal book and go into a different spot at home and try and do the writing there. It does help some, and something else we do is we grab our laptops and sit together for a few hours and work on the things that we want to discuss. We also just sit in the same area and work on our own tasks, but at least we are close together when we need to discuss something.

Sure, being able to just work at home is great because the cost of the coffee is a lot cheaper, but it also means that you don’t have the different environment and for someone that does a lot of writing, the change in scenery can make a big different to how much writing I can get done. Being able to find a different location to sit and write every now and again does help a lot. I do know that when we take our car in for an oil change, I can be found sitting and writing at one of the tables there.

Yes, the number of coffee shops have decreased but making sure that you can find the different places to sit and get work done is important. Of course, if you are going to be using a food court as a location to get some work done, make sure that you are also considerate when it gets busy and maybe that is the time to take that break and let someone else use the table.

Coffee shops and interviews

Coffee shops are now being used as locations for interviews. The interviews are fine if they are done correctly but it should mean that the table or tables are only used if the people have also purchased a coffee or something from the location.

At one coffee shop we walked in and were looking for a table and there were five tables taken up with people just sitting without having purchased anything. If they had been only sitting for a few minutes that would have been one thing but it ended up that they were sitting there for at least half an hour taking up seats that paying customers wanted. Finally the person doing the interview showed up and got all of them around one table freeing up the rest of the tables.

Yes, coffee shops are a wonderful place to do interviews if they are done correctly. What they shouldn’t be used for is a free meeting stop and taking the tables from the actual customers. If you are going to be using a coffee shop for any type of meeting or work space ensure that you are also purchasing something from the store. If you are going to be sitting for a couple of hours also make sure that you spend money and maybe even buy that second cup of coffee to show that you appreciate the time you are using the table.

What is really interesting is sitting and watching interviews take place. In one case there were three people applying for the position or positions and they were all sitting together filling out the applications. As each of them finished filling out the application the hiring person starting asking them the interview questions. This can also be a distraction for the rest of the people filling out the applications.

If you are the person conducting the interviews you should insure that you are on time because that also doesn’t look good for the candidates. As the hiring person you have just shown the potential staff that you don’t respect their time. I know that in one case I actually heard one of the potential candidates phone the hiring person to see what had happened and if they were still going to show up for conducting the interview. This shows that they were actually late and hadn’t even tried to contact the potential candidates to let them know they were running late.

If you are going to conduct interviews make sure that you are not taking up the space from paying customers especially if no one has purchased anything from the store.

Coffee Shop Escapes

Have you noticed how busy some coffee shops are during the week?

It is very interesting to see how busy some coffee shops are during a week day now. A coffee shop can be a place to have a meeting, do work while on the road or just to escape the office for a while. In a lot of cases a coffee shop gives you a break from the normal routine.

We use a coffee shop sometimes as a place to work but also as an escape from our own office. There are times when the change of scenery can really help regain a focus. A coffee shop can also be a place where we can discuss some of the projects we are working on without other distractions.

It is amazing how much work you can accomplish when in a different location. For us a coffee shop is a chance to unplug from the internet and focus on some other work. Yes, when we are in a coffee shop we are not on the “free” wifi that most provide. The “free” wifi can also be a dangerous connection as you never really know who could be on the connection doing bad things.

The coffee shop environment is such a great spot to be able to focus on something. There are times when an hour sitting in a coffee shop results in more work getting accomplished than even two hours in the office.

The coffee shops have now become the spot where even University and College students can do their homework. I know this as I have done some of my College assignments sitting in a coffee shop. The ability to focus on a single task is wonderful.

A coffee shop has now become a remote office for so many people. You can have your meetings or work along, it's up to you. A coffee shop can also be a place where writers go to write. How you use a coffee shop is up to you and don't be surprised at all that people will be working around you.

It's now time for me to finish up my coffee and get back to the office.