We have already seen co-working spaces for self-employed individuals. Now, we have the "coffice”, a cross between a coffee shop and an office, that is attracting more and more freelancers.
Take a seat in a café, get out your laptop and start working. That is a daily reality for many people. Aware of this fact, the South Koreans have come up with a new concept: the "coffice”, created from "coffee” and "office”. It feels just like a bar, but you don’t come here to have a drink with friends, the coffice is meant to be a place of work. With plug sockets for laptops, free wifi, and separate tables, it has been designed so you can get comfortable and tackle a particularly tricky piece of work in a tranquil setting. But you can also order drinks and snacks just like in any other coffee shop.
You don’t need to book to get a table, just pay a reasonable fee, around 4 or 5 euros per hour in France. The concept has started to attract freelancers who don’t necessarily want to work from home, individuals who work remotely, as well as professionals away on business trips and anyone who would like to escape their open plan office for a few hours in a more laid back atmosphere. Coffice users often appreciate being able to make use of a space designed specifically for them, as opposed to traditional coffee shops, which can be noisy and not always suitable for work.
The concept has particularly taken off in the US, but has also begun to appear in Europe. A few of these places can be found in big cities such as Paris and Milan, but not in Switzerland as yet. But perhaps they will be soon!
Christelle Genier
