Popular pub chain Social now offers remote working packages à la coworking space

In 2019, office desks were decorated with potted plants, a calendar and, maybe, some sticky notes. In 2020, all those decorations became redundant as we gave up our plushy office chairs in exchange for working from our couches, in the comfort of our homes.

The Coronavirus has irrevocably changed the way we’ve worked. All companies (except essential services) chose to adopt a work from home (WFH) model in order to stop the Coronavirus from spreading. As India 'unlocks', there are new avenues of working that have come up.

Restaurant chain Social now offers patrons an opportunity to utilise its premises to work remotely. Social is part of a bigger business called Impresario Handmade Restaurants and is owned by entrepreneur Riyaaz Amlani.

Social emphasises, in its introductory video, that it is, in fact, a safe place to work. It focuses more on positioning itself as a collaborative space, as opposed to positioning itself as a remote working avenue.

Social was first opened in Bengaluru, on Church Street, and it calls itself a safe coworking space for independent creative individuals as well as budding entrepreneurs. As of 2020, Social Offline is available in six cities, across 24 outposts.

When Starbucks was originally founded, it was the space between a home and an office that allowed people to work remotely. Starbucks’ outlets are always equipped with fast Wi-Fi and tables wide enough to accommodate laptops.

With India 'unlocking', people are increasingly looking at remote working options from cafes and restaurants. Zomato has introduced a new category in its collection - Work Friendly Places. The collection features restaurants and cafes that have adequate seating arrangements, and reasonably fast Wi-Fi, providing a distraction-free environment.

Another new avenue of remote working that has come up is work vacations, or 'workations' as they're more popularly known as. A 'workation' takes advantage of the flexibility that working remotely offers. It gives patrons an opportunity to work from a different place, with the opportunity to see new places and work in a distraction-free environment.

A 'workation' presents itself as a good way to explore a new place, while being present for the regular office work week. It can also help give relief to those wanderlust-starved travellers who have had to isolate themselves to stop the Coronavirus from spreading.

Most brands advertising for a 'workation' are those who own spaces - such as Zostel, Treebo Hotels and Club Mahindra. Apart from this, a simple Google search for the term 'workation' shows results from different online travel agents on the different getaway options that people have, when it comes to choosing a 'workation'.