Imagine taking a client call in the middle of London Zoo, talking amongst a pride of lions or a
troop of chimpanzees. This may have seemed like a crazy concept a few years ago, but for
some workers, it’s now a reality.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Employees have long been waiting for a more versatile work
arrangement, and 2020 forced a new way upon us.
While many people were satisfied with the binary structure offered by hybrid working, some
were screaming out for a more flexible way of working, calling for more control over how,
when, and where we work—even if amongst the lions.
The answer: fluid working.
This new future-facing way of working centres around creating an adaptable and secure way
of working that isn’t tied to a specific physical space, but instead, a state of mind.
But how can you create an environment that accommodates that being at work is now a state of mind, rather than a physical place?
While the nature of fluid work means that where and how you work is completely up to you,
there is more to creating an ‘office-like’ state of mind than a desk and a lamp. And just like
the office, the goal of fluid working is to be somewhere you can mentally be your most
productive.
Fluid working is all about being flexible and being flexible is enabled by having the right
technology to keep you connected and your work game undisturbed, wherever.
To ensure that you can keep the work momentum going remotely, we’ve put together a
guide highlighting fluid working spaces you and your team can take advantage of.
Coffee shops and cafés
Working in a coffee shop is not just for hopeless romantics and hipsters, some of the most
creative minds in history have worked out their ideas in the local café—Bob Dylan, Picasso,
and Simone De Beauvoir are amongst the famous faces who have found inspiration amongst
the coffee clad tables.
But why do we love working at coffee shops and cafés? Is it the close proximity to caffeine,
the unsocial social aspect, ambient noise or the pressure to be productive as everyone
around you?
Studies show there is more than one reason, and spoiler alert: it’s all the above.
Known as The Coffee Shop Effect, the stimuli in these places make them effective fluid
working environments due to the combination of noise, visual variety, and casual
conversation, giving us the right amount of distraction to help us be our most effective.
As in the office, concentration is contagious. So, when we are surrounded by other likeminded people who have their heads down working, chances are, we will too. Paired with
background noise, these places, when not overwhelming, can enhance cognitive flexibility—
making them a perfect fluid working environment.
The continuous, low-level ambient noise can enhance creative performance by promoting
abstract processing, which allows us to see beyond an idea and focus on the bigger picture.
Though, care needs to be taken to ensure your meetings are at least as good as if you were
sat together in person. Investing in Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones would be a good
shout to eliminate the risk of becoming distracted or becoming a distraction to those
around you.
Coffee shops, cafes and food courts can stoke creativity, but they can also be fairly noisy and
unpredictable at times. In this instance you may want to utilise the Galaxy Buds2 Pro to
ensure that you get the most out of your time or opt for a Samsung Galaxy Book that has
built-in noise cancelling technology to ensure you stay the focus of your calls.
But part of the fun of fluid work is that you aren’t confined to expected places. In fact, you
can get a bit creative in the settings you explore.
Botanical gardens, conservatories, and arboretums
Search “cool places to work remotely” and almost guaranteed there will be a garden of
some sort on that list, but what if we take it one step further and surround ourselves with
nature’s greenery?
It won’t come as a shock to know that light, airy, green spaces can make the perfect fluid
working space. According to NASA, plants act as nature’s air purifiers and studies have
shown that they improve mental health in office settings too.
If you want to reap the benefits of nature’s purifying pets – and have a backdrop that will be
the envy of your co-workers – this botanical garden at Oxford has reasonable priced day
passes and includes free Wi-Fi.
Though, like the office, these gardens are communal spaces and hoarding a lot of space in
communal places is frowned upon. Making sure your kit is portable and light is essential to
make fluid work, not just work for you, but for those around you too.
Having devices with multifunctioning features is perfect for working on the go or in small
spaces.
Finding a suitable working station may prove to be difficult in popular locations. The
portability of the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro can enable fluid working wherever you are.
The 2-in-1 convertible, coupled with the S-pen, means you can jot down any flash of
inspiration that may come your way while you’re on the commute into or out of work.
Canal boats
Talking about small spaces, the art of fluid working is that anywhere can be an office—
including a canal boat. And renting one to work in temporarily is pretty straightforward.
These mobile pods can be a unique space to meet your team away from the office or can be
ideal for those who want solitude when working. Coupled with technology, small spaces can
prove to be a winner for productivity and allow you to slip into a state known as ‘deep
work’.
Deep work, a term coined by author Cal Newport refers to an activity performed “in a state
of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit.” In this
kind of setting, you're going to want a reliable device that will keep you connected without
distraction.
Your device shouldn’t get in the way of you entering a ‘deep work’ state. Samsung
Galaxy Books have Wi-Fi6E built-in, letting you access the ultra-fast data speeds of the 6GHz
band. For tricky no Wi-Fi areas, some Galaxy Books also come with the option to have 4G
LTE connectivity—for when there is no Wi-Fi.
Working from home: kitchen corners, under the stair hideaways, and designated desks
Working from home is a now common practice in many businesses, with 24% of people in
the UK working in a hybrid arrangement; if you are working from home frequently, it is
beneficial to have a proper setup at your home office.
Though, just like the office, the décor can influence your thinking. Your goal should be to
create an environment that boosts your morale. To this end, assigning a dedicated area in
your home as an office space – even if just a corner of your kitchen table – can make a
difference to how you perform.
When designing your workspace, you can optimise for colour schemes that have been
scientifically proven to boost creativity. Yellow and orange, for example, are both said to
inspire creativity, whereas blue is thought to help decision-making.
But the key to cultivating the right state of mind (one that realises the full potential of fluid
working) is having the right equipment. If your work requires you to be hovering over a
laptop frequently, this can be a real – literal – pain in the neck. Studies show that
undergoing tasks repetitively can impact your physical health and posture, according to US
Dept of Labour.
To minimise this risk, having an extra computer monitor can improve comfort and boost
productivity. Multi-screen configurations also allow you to work across screens and make it
easier to track tasks.
A docking monitor for your PC will help with charging headaches, for example. But you
might also consider a portable device with the power of a PC, such as a Samsung Galaxy
Book which allows you to connect to other devices and add a second screen to boost your
efficiency.
The future of fluid working
Many businesses now offer fluid working opportunities to their employees. For one point of
context, 38% of the UK workforce has worked remotely within the past week, and although
this is a good step in the right direction, we need to push further to ensure employee
satisfaction. Fluid working has begun to take shape—but it’s important to note that there is
no one-size-fits-all solution.
It’s all about flexibility. To work fluidly is to not being fixed to a certain place or time. But for
fluid working to be effective, the right technology is essential. Having an ecosystem that
works together effortlessly across devices and back again ensures you can work as
efficiently as possible in any setting.
Though we may not all opt to take calls in the middle of London Zoo, the entire point of fluid
working is that if you want to take a conference call next to a lion, or on a Ferris wheel, or in
a food court, or canal boat, you can.
To enable fluid working, the Galaxy ecosystem offers ‘connected living’, allowing you to stay
connected to your team and Samsung devices wherever you are. If you’re ready to optmise
fluid working in your business, Samsung Galaxy Books are a perfect place to start.