CALLING TIME ON ISOLATION
WHEN RESTRICTIONS LIFT AGAIN, WE CAN’T WAIT TO SWAP ‘WORK FROM HOME’ TO WORKING FROM A PUB, HOTEL OR RESTAURANT. BY
DOG-EARED newspapers, dirty coffee cups, an empty grabbag of Monster Munch and a half-eaten Drifter – my desk looks more like a Tracey Emin installation than a haven of creativity. I’ve worked from home for 18 years but the past six months have nearly finished me off. I’m sick of the view from my desk – noisy sparrows having a morning rave in the neighbour’s bush – bored of my own company and tired of eating lunch straight from the fridge.
Normally, my weeks are peppered with fun trips or working lunches but in these strange Covid times, even leaving the house is a rare treat.
As restrictions tightened before the government’s lockdown announcement at the weekend, I spotted another ’rona trend rippling across the hospitality industry. Instead of working from home, I’d see numerous press releases urging me to work from a hotel room, a pub or even a restaurant.
Recently reopened in Soho, Covent Garden and Liverpool, Resident Hotels have been offering a new work-stay package in one of their tranquil rooms (from £87.20, residenthotels.com). They’ve come complete with wi-fi and a mini kitchen, and you can even have groceries delivered. While I can see the benefits of working from a hotel room – a quiet desk, Nespresso machine and, ahem, minibar – the temptation of a Hypnos bed, Egyptian cotton sheets and a full pillow menu could be the final tipping point for my appalling work-life balance.
However, since my already pitifully low WFH standards have dropped even further during the pandemic, I’m open to alternative options if I want to get any work done.
I’ve always resisted the temptation to work from the boozer – but the fact that pubs have offered ‘pub desks’ in an attempt to recoup lost revenue has been a tempter. Pub chain Young’s Work From Pub (WFP) packages have offered free wi-fi, charging points, unlimited tea and coffee, and lunch thrown in, from £10 a pop (youngs.co.uk).
But while I love the pub, I fear my Pavlovian response to working from my local is that I’ll order a pint of lager and bag of scratchings every hour, rendering me useless by lunchtime. Still, I applaud their initiative – and there’ll definitely be a need for a change of scenery after lockdown mark two, as much for my sanity as my waistline.
I’ve been more tempted by Gibney’s on Old Street (gibneyslondon.com), which has been open as a workspace from Tuesdays to Fridays. Once I’ve met my deadline, I could swing upstairs to Daffodil Mulligan for their Beat The Curfew set menu with three courses and the house cocktail for £20 (5pm to 6.30pm, daffodilmulligan.com)… the best WFP reward you could want.
as my already pitifully low standards have dropped even further, i’m open to alternatives