5 Dos and Donts for Working in Public Spaces

Has the world finally had its fill of cafes doubling as offices?

Cafes in popular cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, and Berlin have begun employing extreme measures to deter remote workers, such as turning off their wi-fi, charging hourly fees for internet use, and even prohibiting laptop use outright.

There’s even a new derogatory term being thrown around. “Laptop squatters” are people who linger at cafes for hours, commandeer tables, pile up wires and devices, and display other obnoxious behavior.

So what’s a thoughtful digital nomad to do?

Lots of listicles explain work etiquette in offices, which is mostly pretty cut and dry: be quiet and polite, clean your table, use headphones, don’t come in sick. But so far, next-to nothing has been written about the rules of engagement for cafe-specific work.

As a digital nomad myself, here are a handful of useful tips I’ve developed over the years that have worked wonders for me.

1. Rotate Cafes. Have several cafes in your circuit, and, based on their size and peak hours, rotate throughout your day or your week to the ones that are less busy and perhaps less fussy. This way you never overstay your welcome at any one spot and you expand your network.
2. Choose a Chain. While perhaps not as romantic or historic as that old family-run cafe you love, most cities now offer major chain cafes like Starbucks, which practically encourage remote work, offering huge tables in large spaces with plenty of outlets. With a chain option in your regular rotation, you’ll have at least one place where you’ll almost never get staffer side-eye.
3. Power-up Beforehand. One of cafe owners’ big issues with laptop squatters is their tendency to occupy an outlet or two for hours on end to charge their devices. The most obvious solution to this is to make sure your phone, laptop and tablet are fully charged before you leave home. The next step is to invest in one of the many powerful and affordable power banks on the market these days. For under $50, you’ll have a portable charger to power your work all day long – and you’ll never have to worry about grabbing that table by the wall.
4. Buy That Refill.  Go on, live a little. Order that second cup of coffee, that sweet almond croissant, or that ham and Swiss that’s been eyeing you all afternoon. A bit of extra spending provides your local family-owned cafe with the business it needs to sustain itself. And they, in turn, will likely be happy to provide you with the comfortable environment you need to get your work done.
5. Respect the Space. Some cafe owners’ complaints about remote workers are totally valid. We’ve heard of laptop workers bringing their own food to the cafe or asking staffers to turn the music down so they can hold a meeting. Others make phone calls every 10-15 minutes and speak in a booming voice. Yet all this is pretty easy to remedy. When working in public just use some common sense, adhere to local cultural norms, and embrace a bit of empathy, and you should do fine.   

Hopefully, someday soon the obnoxious, oblivious laptop squatter will be a thing of the past and we’ll all be able to amicably work and eat side by side.

For now, practice these tips and you’ll soon be back in the good graces of your favorite corner cafe. And instead of being labeled a laptop squatter, you’ll be welcomed as a regular and maybe even a friend.