What’s going on here?

We are a remote working hub. We sell coffee too.

Remote working, the ‘new norm’, is the direct result of the changes in the workplace in the recent years. Although in existence since 1962, remote working or coworking really came to the fore over the pandemic. With companies unable to open their office space due to the spread of Covid-19, alternate arrangements had to be made. These arrangements were innovative and productive. In the main, many companies simply permitted staff to work from home (WFH). This of course had a knock-on effect in the home – where do I set up my laptop, do I need a printer, is this chair comfortable enough for nine hours a day?! And this was only one side of the coin, the other being how would this mini-enterprise operating from the kitchen table impact the other members of the household?

Many took to WFH with ease. The later start to the day, the joy of no commute, the occasional episode on Netflix while on a coffee break… And wow, productivity soared - 77% of those who work remotely at least a few times per month show increased productivity, with 30% doing more work in less time and 24% doing more work in the same period of time according to a survey by ConnectSolutions. Read that again – more work in less time.

However, other parts of the new working day were not as joyous. The length of day spent in the home was increased two or three-fold. This time at home brings other pressures; the house needs to be cleaned, the laundry needs to be put away, who’s getting dinner ready? Surely it is not too much to ask to get some household chores done given that you are home all day? Plus are you really logging off and not having a sneaky glance at emails later in the evening? The lines of separation between work and home are very feint these days.

This expectation has led to additional stress of trying to balance the workday with the obligations of the household. And all this before we add in the little ones that share our house, their wants and needs. And the dog needs a walk too! One of the bigger causes of stress is also the absence of colleagues - This intense pressure can cause employees to overstretch themselves, and eventually burn out, impacting their work performance. Not being able to stop and chat with colleagues, compare progress, or ask simple questions in person may also make completing tasks harder. (wrike.com)

So, it seems there are good and bad sides to this whole remote working lark. How do we get it to work for you?

We offer high-speed broadband with ‘fail-over’ technology, meaning we’re always online. Have you experienced loss of signal once or twice during an important meeting? Not here.

We open from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on Saturday. So, if you like to get started early you can be at a desk, connected and comfortable, drinking a barista made coffee of your choice (at discount), all by 7.03am. What’s more, we have designed the workspaces to offer privacy – you are not overlooked and you are not face to face with other workers. We believe this will cause less distraction and improve productivity.

The isolation of WFH is gone. Although we have designed for privacy and productivity, you are sitting in a shared space attached to a coffee dock. That means you hear the sounds of the town as the traffic passes by, as the locals go about their business and as we grind fresh coffee you hear the whir of the machine.

The initial feedback from our trial period indicated that people felt ‘buzzed’ by being right in the middle of town. One user was ‘genuinely surprised’ by how productive he was, the day ‘flew in’ and he finished his day at 4pm.

Flat Out is located on Emmet Street, in the heart of Trim, between the Carry Out and Marigold Restaurant on the ground floor of Ryan House.

Open six days per week from 7am Monday to Friday and 8am on Saturday.

Remote working rates from €19 plus VAT per day, €199 plus VAT for full monthly membership. 10% discount on coffee.