Laptop Etiquette Cafes, Working From A Coffee Shop
Coffee Shop Etiquette, Cafe Laptop Etiquette, Unspoken Rules of Remote Work Coffee Shops
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I have worked from cafes for a while, all over the world and given the rise of WFH, I thought it was time to share some etiquette as some of you are really overstepping boundaries, etiquette and protocol when working from coffee shops.
Over the years, I have overheard rather private conversations, including:
video calls of people being laid off
finding out people were about to be laid off before they knew (loud calls)
people talking sh*t about fellow VC spending habits on their Miami work trips
founders revealing highly private financial info to VC’s
and so much more.
A lot of employees, cafes are too busy or stressed out to deal with individual cases so please make it easier for them.
Related reads:
Cafe Laptop Etiquette
Do not place bags on the table before ordering.
Do not take up larger tables than needed
Clean up your table after you leave (especially if there are trays)
Do not take up more space than shoulder width of the table (add 20% buffer on either side for your sanity, paranoia, OCD)
Do not squat the entire day there
Order regularly
Use earphones, don’t put on music/video calls for everyone to hear
How Not To Be A D*ck When Working From Coffee Shops
Do not include people in the background of video calls
If you are louder than at least 80% of the people there, you are too loud
Do not plug in (charge) multiple devices, especially if other people are waiting to use them
Do not place bags/coats on seats next to you, on the table
Don’t abuse free coffee refill policies (tip on free refills)
Don’t bring your own monitors
Don’t bring upright PC stations
Good Work Laptop Etiquette Coffee Shop
Tip well
Move to a smaller table if space opens up
Share your table, and space (offer up if people are looking for a spot and there is none)
Leave if you are occupying a spot for a long time, don’t plan to order anything anymore (cafes/coffee shops lose out on group orders if they can’t find a place to sit)
If you are seated at a table, move to a bar seat if elderly or handicap people are looking for a space to sit
If you are seated between two empty seats and a couple or two people are unable to find two seats together, offer to move over.
How Long To Stay At A Cafe When Working?
That depends on…
how crowded it is
if people are looking for places to sit
what the policies are stated explicitly at said cafe/coffee shop
how regularly you are ordering
Thoughts? Something to add? I left a QR code for cafe owners who wanted to link to this article without worrying about backlash from customers who disagreed with their rules.
Best Cafes To Work From San Francisco, Best Coffee Shops Remote Work San Francisco
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