THIRD PLACE WORK: The Right place to Work?

If the first place is the home, second is the work, what is the third place?

The fall morning is thankfully fog-free today, which springs up S. Kapoor’s steps of as he rolls for work. In short order, he fires up the computer, turns on his cellphone and orders breakfast.

Though he has toiled on these premises for a few months now, he doesn't know anyone here well except for Thomas, who brings him his hot coffee. That's because Kapoor, 39, works out of ‘The grEAT’, a bohemian food joint in the city's eastern part that caters to a growing army of office-less employees.

"Working from a place like this is less stressful and more comfortable than being in an office, and I find I get a lot more done," says Kapoor, RSM of an organization, a growing FMCG company. "

 A 'third place', between home and office, for working, is gaining popularity and has its own distinct advantages, as per a survey. These ‘third places’ encompass business centres, clubs, libraries and informal areas such as coffee shops. 

The survey, demystifies the myth that flexible working means home-working. It shows how a commonplace third place working, neither home nor office has become in modern business. It also says that being able to work in a place close to home radically improves people's work-life balance, job satisfaction and productivity.

The independent research report, "revealed that 'third place' working brings a wide range of benefits, including improved work-life balance, reduced stress and improved productivity for the employee, as well as cost-effectiveness, scalability and reduced property commitment for businesses."

"Today's dynamic technological, economic and social conditions create opportunities and pose new challenges for both individuals and organizations. Attracting and retaining talent is a central challenge for business. Third place working that improves the overall quality of work life supports this situation," the report says.

Looking from the corporation’s point of view, third place working reduces property commitments, allows flexible use of amenities on demand, and yet maintains a highly professional business image, it says.

"With advancing technology options, is physical place still important in work life?  Can dispersed work settings across global cities compensate for the physical presence and be beneficial to both the parties?

Key findings from the report include the revelation that 52 per cent of third place workers globally use business centres for some or all of their working time.

Almost 72 per cent of these third place users spend over three days a week in their favourite business centre or other third place, and 70 per cent of business centre users find these environments more conducive in terms of productivity, as compared to more informal locations, she said.

Most of those interviewed did not want to work from home. They wanted to work amongst other people who are working, motivated by the synergy and common purpose of other people working around them, with no distractions, benefiting from access to technology and facilities not available at home, and the freedom to focus on their work in a non-domestic, professional environment.

Third place work maybe just the right place and way to work!!

(SOURCE:REGUSBLOG)