Working out of a "third place"

Fred Mertz for USA TODAY

Interesting article on USA Today on the "rules" for working out of a "third place".

This rootless army is growing 10% annually, according to Gartner Dataquest research. The reason? Corporations are increasingly supportive of teleworking for reasons that range from saving money on office space to needing a backup in the event of a natural disaster or terror attack.

"With technology what it is, it's far easier to bring the work to the people than the people to the work," says Jim Ware of the Future of Work, a Bay Area enterprise that helps large companies such as Boeing anticipate workplace trends.

Ware says working out of a "third place" — neither home nor office, it's anything from Starbucks to the local library — does raise "a host of human resources issues related to keeping track of people you don't see much."

But in the end, "employers are realizing that it's about the work, not about the hours in an office."

If only, eh? I like to work in Coffee Merchant in the Merchant City in Glasgow... I've gotten over the billy-no-mates feeling and love the vibe inside the Merchant Square.

I'm big on the third place and hope one day to be part of one.

Some great advice in the article::

* Tip big and eat often.
* Take it outside. Keep phones on vibrate, and when they do buzz, head straight for the door.
* Don't be a hog.
* Careful who you trust.
* Keep your eyes to yourself.
* Cords get right of way.

Fab article... check it out... on wi-fi on your laptop in your fav coffeehouse.

Technorati Tags: third place, coffeehouse