Tempted to grab your laptop and work al fresco in the spring sun? Here’s what experts want you to know first
Spring has officially sprung – bringing with it blue skies, beautifully balmy breezes and one slightly less conventional sight: locals behind laptops.
Australia’s remote workers are descending upon cafés, bars and beaches alike to set up shop in the sunshine – as shown in one Sydneysider’s viral Instagram video capturing locals working al fresco in the city’s seaside suburbs this week.
The sun is out, and so are Sydneysiders and their laptops. Instagram/@tainafelix
If you’re tempted to do the same, there are some factors worth considering first.
The allure of spring weather can prove difficult to resist. So as ‘working from home’ becomes something more akin to ‘working from wherever you happen to be at the time,’ how do we get the best out of our open-air offices?
Etiquette
Taking your desk to a local café, pub garden or beach is great in theory – provided you don’t become that person.
While remote work has dramatically transformed the way our workdays look – in many ways, for the better – it’s also raised a number of questions regarding the correct approach to taking these tasks outside.
As much as we’d all love to treat public spaces as our personal home offices for the day, etiquette expert Jo Hayes says there are a number of dos and don’ts to keep in mind.
“Just because you ‘can’ set yourself up at a table in the corner for five hours every day, doesn’t mean you ‘should’,” Hayes told nine.com.au
If your chosen establishment for WFH activities has a clearly stated rule about staying too long, absolutely honour said rule and skedaddle long before they have to ask you to leave.
“Just because you ‘can’ set yourself up at a table in the corner for five hours every day, doesn’t mean you ‘should’.” Getty
However, if there’s no set rule, Hayes says it’s important to use common sense and intuition – while also remembering to make a reasonable purchase.
“Ordering one $4 espresso, and expecting to claim a table for four hours probably won’t fly with many cafés,” she said.
“If you’re just sitting down for an hour or two, it’s fine, but if your time extends past that, especially over the lunch hour, it’s decent to consider spending a bit more in exchange for the use of the space and Wi-Fi.
“Keep in mind this is a business looking to turn a profit, and that there are other patrons around you seeking to enjoy a relaxing meal, drink or social catchup.”
On that note, she also cited the importance of moderating phone call and laptop volume while going about your business in a public space.
“Do not, under any circumstance, go about [phone or video calls] on loudspeaker,” she warned.
“It is supremely annoying, distracting and fatiguing for those around you - both fellow patrons and staff.”
She stated that any time we are in public, or within earshot of other people, it is a non-negotiable to be using headphones for any phone or computer audio.
Ergonomics
According to an expert, outdoor work is most effective when it is used as a purposeful change of setting – not simply as a way to move a desk-based day to a patio chair.
Claire Folland is a Certified Human Factors and Ergonomics Professional, and says that working outdoors can help reset posture, attention and energy – as long as it’s done correctly.
Working outside to soak up the sun? Be careful of your posture. iStock
Speaking to nine.com.au, she said carefully choosing which tasks to take outside is key, with outdoor spaces best suited to phone calls, walking meetings, reading, planning and short periods of focused work: not hours of static laptop use.
“A three-hour laptop session that keeps someone seated and hunched is still sedentary work, even with a better view,” she warned.
Safe Work Australia and the World Health Organization advise that prolonged sitting should be interrupted regularly.
Sitting for more than 30 minutes without a break has been identified as a potential health concern, and exercise before or after work does not fully offset a day dominated by uninterrupted sitting.
Most outdoor furniture, according to Folland, is designed for dining and conversation, rather than a workday. But she had a number of suggestions to make any setting suit your needs:
- Raise the laptop on a stable stand and use a separate keyboard and mouse.
- Keep the keyboard close, with the shoulders relaxed and elbows near the body.
- Position the screen roughly an arm’s length away, with the top of the active display around eye level or slightly below.
- Sit back against the chair rather than perching forward.
- Use a folded towel or firm cushion for temporary lumbar support.
- If the seat is too high, support the whole foot on a stable footrest or bag—never leave the feet dangling.
- Avoid sustained laptop work from a lounge chair, picnic rug or low coffee table.
Folland also recommended prioritising shady spots over scenery.
“If the screen cannot be read comfortably without squinting, leaning forward or turning brightness to maximum, it is not the right place for computer-based work,” she advised.
At the end of the day, the goal is not to have perfect posture, but rather to avoid being trapped in any one position for too long.
