WorkSnug - Connecting mobile workers to the nearest & best places to work

WorkSnug is based here in London, though our users are spread all over the world. We’re also pretty agile - we’re a small team of flexible workers, splitting our work days (and sometimes nights!) between the office, our homes and third-places, like laptop-friendly coffee shops.

That’s why, when it snowed here in London last year, on what became ‘Snow Day’ for stranded employees and ‘Snowmageddon’ for employers (and slow-news day journalists), we weren’t massively affected. But we did notice the meltdown in the city around us (excuse the pun!): buses and underground trains didn’t run, commuters were stuck at home, employers freaked out.

Now London’s workforce is facing an even bigger challenge: the 2012 Olympic Games.

In training

Some businesses are preparing for a meltdown on the scale of 100 ‘Snow Days’. Others are taking a ‘wait and see approach’, thinking the expected disruption will be less like Snow Day and more like the Millennium Bug.

The authorities propose a solution that is two fold: 1) that London’s transport network has to increase its capacity, and 2) that commuters have to decrease their usage - by 30% to avoid severe disruptions.

Flexible working: Going for gold

Is this interesting to our readers outside of London? Well, yes. Studies suggest that problems with London’s transport network aren’t just to do with the Olympics. The Games are an inflection point of a much larger issue, and an opportunity for businesses to consider the broader challenges of work in the 21st century.

White paper: 2012 Olympic Games Roundtable

This white paper (1.4 MB) by workplace consultants AOS Studley is the result of a roundtable discussion with senior HR professionals in London. It presents conclusions drawn from research and resources that suggest that flexible working is the solution to London’s 2012 woes, but also to the challenges of modern work elsewhere.

It also does a good job of clearing up some confusion around flexible working as a term and as a workstyle, and shares case studies of its benefits and successes.

The white paper also makes an interesting point about one of flexible working’s biggest challenges - and it’s one we talked about with Cisco’s Bas Boorsma on our podcast: and that’s the shift in culture and understanding required to make flexible working a success.

Downloads

Download AOS Studley’s white paper on the challenges of the 2012 Olympic Games and flexible working in general here here (1.4 MB), and listen to our podcast on the evolution of work here.

Supported by Plantronics. Simply Smarter Communication solutions for the Mobile Professional

Photo credit: paulcoxphotography

We’re looking for an experienced mobile and C++ developer for an immediate freelance project, with the likelihood of future work, if all goes well.

We looking for, in particular:

• 3+ years of experience developing on Android and iOS
• 3+ years of development experience including deployment of commercial services
• A strong background in Objective-C, C++ and Java
• Experience using the Ideaworks/Marmalade SDK will be a major advantage

We’re based in East London, and looking to fill this position as soon as possible.

Please get in touch, emailing hello@worksnug.com, explaining how you meet the above requirements, and with an indication of your availability and day rate.

Thanks!

The London 2012 Olympics is just a hop, skip and jump away - and WorkSnug is warming up and stretching off in preparation. We need your help!

We’re looking for laptop-toting, coffee-sipping mobile workers to dig into East London and the Olympics area to find the best laptop-friendly workspaces and review them for our website.

We’ll pay the London Living Wage, which is £8.30 per hour, and provide full training in advance.

You should be London-based, have your own laptop and some experience of connecting on the move, like in coffee shops and hotels, etc.

It’s expected to be around 3 days work - and we need you to start ASAP! If you’re interested, drop us an email at hello@worksnug.com

Photo credit: lilivanili

We want to make WorkSnug magical. We’re seeking a mobile user-experience magician who can wave the wand.

WorkSnug is seeking an extremely talented freelancer to design an intuitive and impressive user experience that’s consistent across our mobile platforms (iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian^3). We’re particularly looking for:

• Solid UX design experience and a firm understanding of information architecture issues
• Experience in mobile UI development 
• Applicants should also be experienced in Photoshop, Illustrator and Visio (or similar) and have a passion for design
• A track record of excellence, please provide published examples
• Applicants will preferably have experience of working in an Agile environment
• Being London-based is a plus

WorkSnug connects mobile workers to the nearest and best laptop friendly workspaces. See WorkSnug.com for more information. We’re proud to say that we were founded at The Hub Kings Cross, and are now based in East London, absolutely nowhere near ‘Silicon Roundabout’.

If this could be you, please get in touch. Email hello@worksnug.com

Photo credit: pasukaru76

Greetings, earthlings.

I’m an 18 year-old student, living in London and working for WorkSnug over this rainy July. I’ve been asked, by WorkSnug, to go out and embrace the life of a mobile worker, and to let you know how it went.

I’ll admit it: I’m a mobile working virgin. This is my first time. This is my story of living the WorkSnug dream.

Coral Brown (@ZaraBlack5) is a London student, blogger, and working at WorkSnug over the summer.

I arrived in London Bridge at 9am, armed with my Macbook, my debit card and my gleaming enthusiasm, and set off to my first destination - a coffee shop workspace called Bermondsey Street Coffee which I found using WorkSnug, of course (read my gushingly affectionate review).

‘Caffeine Rent’

Ordering tea and snacks first felt like the natural protocol to follow: the café has to know I mean business. After setting my coffee shop treasures on a table, I revealed my laptop: the unmistakable sign that I will be perched at this table for the next few hours, and am not just a fleeting, uncommitted customer.

I just wonder how long this builder’s tea, pomegranate juice and chocolate muffin will pay for my presence. When do I need to top up on food and drink so that the coffee shop lets me stay? It’s like paying rent in currencies of hot drinks and pastries, but I’m in charge of when I pay. I make a decision to get up and pay more caffeine rent the moment I’ve finished sipping from this batch, so there’s no point at which I’m found free-riding their internet access.

Starstruck and Starbucks

Next arrives the dilemma of what to do when I have to leave my darling laptop all by itself on this table. I’ve had to go outside of the coffee shop a couple of times now: once to take a photo of the shop for the WorkSnug website, and once to look up the name of the place, so I could post a review. Both times I felt confident to leave my laptop unattended, sitting there like a stack of £50 notes, just waiting to be taken. The main reason I felt safe was because I was blocking the only exit, and if any thief had attempted to kidnap my laptop, they’d have to face the wrath of me, infamous and brutal champion of dead arms.

Going to the toilet would be a different matter – I’d be locking myself in a little cupboard at the opposite end of the room, leaving the exit clear. I had no choice but to pack up all of my stuff, when I wanted to go to the toilet. Because of all of the fuss, I decided to leave this coffee shop in search of another, thus killing two birds with one brick. Nature called, and I had to answer.

I packed up my little coloured pens, shut the laptop, and took everything with me on a trip to the little unisex person’s room. However, on my way, I spotted Chris O’Dowd - you know him, that Irish one from the IT Crowd. The one that isn’t Moss or the girl. Oh yes, he’s chilling in the same room as me. So, of course, I stayed for a little longer. Oh, the benefits of mobile working.

Before long, it was time to move on to sample the delights of other café workspaces. I wanted to see if I could feel any difference between working in an independent coffee shop and working in a big old chain like Starbucks. I can only report back that there is no difference whatsoever.

When you’ve work to do, it seems that as long as there’s a table, a plug, a place to buy lots of recklessly calorific muffins and good internet access, anywhere will do. Apart from when there’s nowhere to sit, of course – that is a major distraction. At one point I was standing in a full and thriving Starbucks, dithering in front of the sea of coffee-sipping heads, all occupying tables. I tried to catch the eye of the day-dreaming loners at tables, hoping my eyebrow piercing or sharp fringe might frighten them away. Sadly, I’m not as intimidating as I’d hoped, and left Starbucks in a huff. Moments later, I found a replacement coffee shop. Starbucks.

Mobile working works

After a very insightful day in Southwark’s coffee shops, I can conclude that mobile working is definitely my bag, baby. Had I stayed in the Bermondsey Street Coffee, and not tried to explore so many other shops in one day, I’d have been even more productive, even more filled with tea and even more star struck with Chris O’Dowd.

As it was, my productivity was far higher than I had anticipated, and not just because I’m a student and therefore, by default, a bit lazy. After having found the right workspace, settling in to work was noticeably easy. Perhaps it’s because I’m a hard-working, passionate and energetic go-getter. Perhaps it’s because, if you are alone in a public place, you’re forced to do something so that you don’t look too stalkerish. Whichever the reason, I enjoyed the experience of mobile working, and would definitely do it again.

Share your own opinion on the workspaces we’ve reviewed, add new places and help fellow mobile workers on our website.

You’ve spent too much time watching what’s popular on YouTube and now… now you’ve got to finish that report and a) you don’t want your colleagues to see you stay late because they’ll know you slacked off during the day - or - b) your co-working space closes at 18.30.

Where oh where can you go that’s got wifi, maybe something nice for dinner, maybe some wine to grease those writing gears in your head, that’s open late?

1. Tinderbox
   Islington, open ‘til: 22.30pm, 7 days a week
   Liverpool Street, open ‘til: 21.00, 7 days a week
   Tinderbox is another one of those gems designed with the mobile pro in mind. The one thing that Tinderbox gets right is power provision: individual workstation like seating if you need a focused environment or seats to let yourself be isolated by the ambient mass, practically every seat has a power outlet. Wifi isn’t free and it’s expensive (huge mistake) but on the other hand, if you need to put yourself in a place not to be distracted by the internet it’s a great spot (or if you’ve got a mobile broadband dongle)! As to sustenance: No license and light meals, more sweets than real food.
2. El Paso Bar 
   Open ‘til: 1.00 Mon-Wed, 2.00 Thu-Sat
   El Paso is the spot for the mobile creative pro. Designed with you in mind, it’s a great spot to ease into an evening of work. They’ve even got a few cubbys where you can treat a client to an evening. There’s power supplied to half the tables. And the food! Om nom nom with hearty and plentiful vegetarian/vegan options! Full bar with cocktails. Sunday-Wednesday best nights for solo work. Thursday - Saturday ease into an evening with your pals. Wifi free!!! 
3. ICA bar and café
   Open ‘til: 23.00 Wed, 1.00 Thu-Sat, 21.00 Sun
   A bit cave like but with nice mood lighting. Small plates and full bar. Slim on power provision and closed in the early week, still a nice place for the end of the week because even late on Thursday through Saturday it’s not too busy. Recommend you bring an extra battery, though.
4. Ray’s Jazz Café at Foyles, Soho
   Open ‘til: 21.00 Mon-Sat, 19.30 Sunday
   Power provision along the rear wall, a nice view out the bar windows. They get a little low on food at the end of the day, but there’s usually some kind of slice left over, and plenty of cakes; wine, coffee, and tea. They even have a selection of wine and beer. The later it gets, the lighter the crowd does as well (even at the weekend). Ease into a night in Soho with friends Thursday through Saturday.
5. inSpiral Lounge
   Open ‘til: 22.00 Mon-Thu, 2.00 Fri-Sat, 23.00 Sunday
   Free wifi behind a password, and moderate power provision, Inspiral is a reliable bet but on the other hand, it is in Camden Town. Plentiful food, but vegan leaning vegetarian. The best part is that it’s on the water with a nice view and they don’t care how long you sit. Though again, probably not a good bet Thursday through Saturday.

Open but with often broken or slow wifi and very little power provision: Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank centre.

If you get desperate, many bars and chain restaurants (Giraffe, for example) offer free wifi — probably not a great bet for a weekend night, but if you’re pressed during the week… (shrugs)

Where do you work late in London?
My bias is obvious, I’m sure: North/East London: where do you work late? Where’s good West and South?

You Are Here, a set on Flickr.

I came across this beautiful litho-printed guide to East London on the excellent Londonist blog last week, and snooped around its publisher’s website to spot this - a map of “the best places to meet and work in London”.
Obviously, I ordered it straight away.
It didn’t arrive as quickly as search results on WorkSnug, but it’s lovely, don’t you think?
Find more handsome maps on the Herb Lester Associates website.