Can ‘coffices’ replace an office for meetings?

Workers wanting to escape the office have been setting up shop in cafes for years.

Starbucks was, to many, the original ‘coffice’ offering hot drinks, free internet access and comfy seats that you could spend all day working from.

And now, a number of specialist coffices have opened, taking things a step further by providing places to charge your laptop, mini booths and speedy Wifi.

While some people have complained these workers are hogging available seats, one London café has found a way around this – by charging people 5 per minute to use their coffice facilities.

© sebra / Adobe Stock

What makes coffices so popular?

Working from a café can be fun and inspiring, while also allowing you to focus on the work at hand.

Cubesmart found after an interruption from a colleague it takes 20 minutes to get back on track. Some people face around 70 interruptions per day. You can avoid your colleagues by taking your work to the café.

Coffices also provide a new outlook, can be found anywhere there’s a willing café and offer great food and drink.

Who uses them?

It tends to be freelancers or small business owners, usually in knowledge-based businesses like technology, media, arts etc.

Can they really be used for meetings?

To an extent, they can. Some offer separate areas specifically for meetings, while it’s fashionable for new cafes to have large sharing tables that can be taken over.

They also will have great food and drinks for your attendees. The atmosphere for these meetings would be more relaxed and sociable than a boardroom.

What are the downsides?

Cafes are noisy places and can sometimes lack privacy. Plus, unless you reserve one you might not find a suitable table.

Coffices also limit your meeting options as you won’t have any extras like a projector or video conferencing facilities. The Wifi connection can also be variable.

If you’re looking for somewhere different to hold a meeting, why not try &Meetings’ selection of spaces for hire? The professional spaces are simple to book, include Wifi and equipment and are handily located near transport connections.

Call us on 0800 073 0499 for more details.

Posted by Sara Cano