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Original poster

Is this the new norm? Working from café

133 replies

Oneborneverydecade · 23/05/2023 09:39

I haven't worked in an office for a while but my DH works from home. He's able to be home for meetings but obviously I appreciate some people need to visit clients etc.

I'm between jobs atm and spending too much time (and money) in local cafes. Often someone will start a work video call or telephone call.

I try to ignore and focus on my phone. It's only if it goes on for some time that I start to get frustrated.

Is it rude to dominate the space with a work call? Isn't it frustrating for the other person, trying to hear over the background noise (today it's the Bee Gees, lady is loudly discussing her maternity pay situation)

OP posts:
853ax · 23/05/2023 17:09

Surprised work info sec would allow people join meetings in public places.
Our policy even mentions not to have Alexa or Hey Google in earshot of work calls.

Hubblebubble · 23/05/2023 17:12

I know one cafe with a laptops on table for one hour rule. So they've lost me (and no doubt many others) as a customer. I take my money to their competitors. They arent doing great because theyve had to reduce their opening hours, as they simply dont make enough money to stay open past 3. Meanwhile, innovarive and thriving cafes offer work from here deals, such as 12 pound for unlimited hot drinks. You're essentially renting the space.

Scattery · 23/05/2023 17:16

I'll often take my laptop to a cafe to get a change of scenery and have a coffee and pastry, but I don't stay for more than an hour or two. I've definitely seen an uptick in people taking speaker calls/doing zoom meetings. Once, two employees from a large pharmacy chain sat near me and had a zoom meeting at top volume, on speaker, no earphones, with some potentially sensitive info being streamed right out into the cafe.

Tbh what I find super annoying is someone who sits next to me and then starts jiggling their foot/leg in my peripheral vision! I don't know why, but half the time it threatens to make me bloody vertiginous. Would almost take a loud zoom call over that - and no I've never confronted anyone or even tutted because I know IABU, but oof does waggling feet/jittering legs give me the absolute rage.

SheilaFentiman · 23/05/2023 17:21

I wouldn't do a video or speaker call in a cafe. Maybe a quick mobile call.

ColdHandsHotHead · 23/05/2023 17:21

PromisingMiddleagedWoman · 23/05/2023 11:53

Genuine question - lots of people on this thread have complained that workers go to a cafe and order one coffee and sit and work for a couple of hours. Is this really different behaviour from people who go to a cafe to meet a friend? I sometimes go to a cafe to meet a friend and buy one coffee and stay for a couple of hours. Of course I wouldn’t hang around a packed cafe for two hours, but somewhere that’s not overly busy - why not?

There seems to be an assumption people buy more if they’re not working than if they are, that I don’t think is necessarily true.

A cafe near where I used to live had to specify that people must buy a coffee and a cake and not stay for more than two hours because of this. I think there had been particular problem with parents coming to meet up and making one cup of tea last for several hours while their kids crawled around on the floor putting everyone else off altogether. The cafe installed a special row of stools and a ledge for people who wanted to work from laptops.

ThreeRingCircus · 23/05/2023 17:25

I think it's totally fine if they're not one person sitting on a table for four, if they buy something and if they're not having a loud telephone conversation. Same as any other members of the public.

Sadly my company don't allow it due to data protection issues.... I'm amazed so many companies allow it to be honest.

Original poster
Oneborneverydecade · 23/05/2023 17:25

TheCatterall · 23/05/2023 14:52

I’m self employed and work from home. Sometimes to beat the isolation I will work from one of a few local cafes.

I ask them before hand if it’s ok.

I have a rapport with the staff and use them for social events as well.

I ask them their quiet times and days. I leave if it gets unexpectedly busy and I think they could do with the table.

I don’t do video calls etc. if I listen to videos I use headphones. I may make a call to family or answer a call but it’s at a quiet volume and not on speaker phone (too cringy!) as my people pleaser instincts worry about offending or annoying nearby diners.

I have at least one drink per hour, generally a meal and will often have a business friend join me. I typically spend £20+ over 3 hours (up North).

I will also recommend them to others for networking events, painting workshops etc if they want a hand to get bodies in on quiet nights. So I work with them as much as possible.

I may use wifi and chargers. I always ask if I can. My favourite independent cafe has plugs and usb chargers under each table in little booths. I love it.

I equally hate the ‘boomers’ who talk really loud on video calls etc in the middle of a cafe. I will sit nearby and chat to them and offer input on whatever they are doing as they obviously want us all to know how important they are. I will just be super inquisitive (nosy) until they feck off or shut up. I do the same on trains. 🤷‍♀️

I wish I'd done that this morning 😀

OP posts:
Tamrastarr · 23/05/2023 17:27

I was on holiday and a guy took a work call, really loudly, in the swimming pool! It was hilarious, he obviously thought he was tres important!

AnarchoTyrannosaurus · 23/05/2023 17:28

I don't care as long as they're not hogging big tables. I wouldn't be quiet though.

Hankunamatata · 23/05/2023 17:35

Iv seen full on video conference calls, it's just weird

CabbagePatchDole · 23/05/2023 17:39

MenopauseSucks · 23/05/2023 12:07

I've been in cafes that rent tables out to people working. They have to book in advance & pay upfront but it does mean there is a guaranteed income for the cafe owners.
It can be annoying but the cafes are obviously getting something out of it else they wouldn't offer it!

This is a good idea!

feralunderclass · 23/05/2023 17:41

I was in Caffè Nero recently and the tables beside me consisted of A level students revising and testing each other loudly, a man and woman having a meeting with their photographer for their upcoming wedding, another on a zoom call and 2 women with 3 dogs between them that were jumping all over the place. Strangely no one seemed to have bought anything, so they all must have been there some time.

Creepybookworm · 23/05/2023 17:51

People do it in the local library. Working....fine. on calls.....not fine! They then have the cheek to give the parents with noisy kids dirty looks.

EbonyRaven · 23/05/2023 17:52

This has put me off going into our local Costa actually. 3 out of the past 4 times I have been in, there has been someone (different people,) on a works call with the other person on loudspeaker. The person (in Costa,) gets loud and quite annoyed and like 'yeah Sharon but...' etc etc etc. Acting like it's their personal workspace.

Why the cafe owners allow it I have no idea. I am sure they don't buy more than one coffee. They stay ages too. One woman was there when I went in the other week, and I left after 10 minutes, and she was still there when I walked past an hour later.

Really annoying. I don't know when this started happening but it's pissing me right off.

Blossomtoes · 23/05/2023 17:52

Nanny0gg · 23/05/2023 14:11

I can't believe that people's companies are happy for their employees to use the free wifi

That's a data breach waiting to happen!

Encrypted files.

MeridianB · 23/05/2023 17:53

I thought you meant they are holding work meetings online using headphones. But do you mean they are not using headphones? And the whole meeting is blaring out? WTF?!

Ibizamumof4 · 23/05/2023 17:56

I would go an office if you have that option

Peachy2005 · 23/05/2023 18:04

Can’t stand when people are running an interview in a café !! It used to happen a lot in Starbucks when we lived in Ireland. The poor interviewee trying to answer questions about themselves in full earshot of a load of strangers…and the obnoxious interviewers (mostly American) loudly banging on about their corporate culture like they owned the place 😡 It just ruins the vibe for everybody else.

FancyFanny · 23/05/2023 18:18

It's very frustrating. Last time I went to Pret the tables were all taken by people on their laptops nursing their empty cups, whist those with food had nowhere to sit.

EbonyRaven · 23/05/2023 18:21

MeridianB · 23/05/2023 17:53

I thought you meant they are holding work meetings online using headphones. But do you mean they are not using headphones? And the whole meeting is blaring out? WTF?!

Yep @MeridianB Exactly that!!! Acting like they're in their own office, and they own the bloody place! Hmm

55balloons · 23/05/2023 18:25

So annoying.. Also find me local park is full of people on work calls on loud speaker & they practically shout as they power walk.. . Ruins my morning walk with the dogs..

Bahhhhhumbug · 23/05/2023 18:26

I raise you our local nursery, two childminders ,ten toddlers visit one of our local cafes every day, get every high chair in the place and fill two large tables . The children are then fed from their individual lunch boxes and tippee cups which are stored under their two toddler train pushchairs. The two adults buy a coffee each if the cafe is lucky or sometimes just one. Sit for about an hour till kids have eaten and drunk their own good and drink ,then treat us all to a 'Wheels on the Bus ' and similar singalongs. The cafe is a franchise unfortunately so the staff arent allowed to say anything to them (l asked).

TellHimDirectlyInDetail · 23/05/2023 18:34

I don't have a problem with it at all. If you have a problem with it don't go there. If the cafe has a problem with it they can make rules to avoid it happening.

I don't work in cafes though.

NumberTheory · 23/05/2023 18:35

I live in a place where this has been the norm for 20 years. People also meet a lot in cafes to talk about work, especially if looking for a new job, and one of my work places had two cafes listed as meeting rooms in the scheduling calendar. It made for much nicer work days and the cafes were happy with it as brought in business (though people will sit and nurse a coffee for hours, they will also duck in to buy a coffee and take it off with them).

Cafes in more residential areas do have the odd meeting in them, but mainly people working are coding/writing/etc. not in a meeting either remotely or in person. So pretty quiet.

I don’t find it anymore disturbing to have someone discussing work next to me than to have someone discussing their marriage/school choices/the latest play they saw/what happened on Succession/etc. And meetings, even remote ones, are less annoying than parents with young children who scream or won’t sit still.

Of course there are obnoxious people doing their work in cafes. Just as there are obnoxious friends, obnoxious parents, obnoxious surfers, obnoxious individuals, obnoxious dog owners, etc. Workers in general don’t seem to be any more anti-social or disruptive than any other category of cafe customers.

Womencanlift · 23/05/2023 18:36

I think I shared this story on a thread before and it’s about trains but still makes me laugh because the guy that did this was an obnoxious dick and he paid the price for being a loudmouth

At a previous company this guy acted like he was soooo important on his work call that a fellow commuter worked out where he worked, what project he was working on, some yet to be announced changes and put all the details on Twitter

As you can imagine all hell broke loose and everyone got severely bollocked about not discussing work in public places.