"Blue sky work" feels good!? Ask a remote work expert Mistakes you tend to make and 6 useful items

Have you ever had the experience of working in a nearby park or on the terrace of a cafe while working remotely, and found that you were able to work more comfortably than usual? A work style called "blue sky work" is attracting attention as a new work style.

In practicing such blue sky work, we asked remote work masters about common mistakes and items they want to carry.

Will “Aozora Work” spread in the future?

As a measure to recover the economy, which has fallen due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the supplementary budget for April 30, 2020, the Ministry of the Environment has a budget to promote workations in national parks and quasi-national parks. Incorporated.

About half a year later, in October 2020, INFORICH Co., Ltd., which develops the mobile battery sharing “ChargeSPOT”, surveyed 1,000 teleworkers about changes in their awareness of telework and workation.

As a result, 93% of the teleworkers were teleworking at home (indoors).

However, many people feel that teleworking at home (indoors) is an environment that makes it difficult to refresh or change their mood.

62% answered that they were “interested in workcations but have not been able to implement them.” As reasons for not being able to do so, there were many answers such as "It costs money," "I want to take a break if I go on a trip," "I want to balance work and vacation," and "It is difficult to implement due to the structure of the company."

However, 65% of the people who answered that telework said, "I think that working in an open space (outdoor) such as a terrace or a park will be refreshing." It turns out that there is

It seems that interest in "working in open spaces (outdoors) such as terraces and parks" is increasing due to the high hurdles of workcation and the challenge of refreshing telework at home.

Actually, this way of working is getting a lot of attention lately, especially on SNS. It seems that it is sometimes called "blue sky work". It is said that it is a style to work while freely choosing a place in an open space, such as public spaces around the house such as terraces and parks, and spaces where you can feel nature.

Now that we are tired of self-restraint and teleworking, working outdoors without contact with others while refreshing may meet our needs.

Mr. Ryuichi Minoura, Deputy Director-General for Cyber ​​Security and Informatization, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, said that "Aozora Work", which does not cost money in the neighborhood, is more popular than this "Workation". Leave a comment like this:

[Interview cooperation]

Mr. Ryuichi Minoura, Minister's Secretariat, Cyber ​​Security and Computerization Deputy Director-General, Administrative Management Bureau. At the 2017 Japan Governance Association meeting, he was introduced as a highly mobile Napoleon-type manager. We are also working on developing young human resources, such as realizing a short-term exchange study abroad with a basic local government for the first time in a central government agency. He also participates in various projects and communities, such as the Karuizawa Resort Telework Association, the Kanazawa Innovation Hub Study Group, and the Food Medicine Network, which considers health and medical care through food.

“Workation is just one of the options for those of us who work. I think workcations that do work will be our choice of work from now on.

On the other hand, some people may find it easier and more comfortable to work in the open air near their homes. The important thing is that everyone can work wherever they like according to the circumstances and convenience of the time.

There is the term ABW (Activity Based Working), but there are individual differences in what makes it easier for you to get your work done. When you want to concentrate, when you want to come up with an idea, when you want to talk to someone online, the right place will change depending on the content of the work at that time. When considering work style reform, increasing the range of options and degree of freedom is a very important factor. In the future, I would be happy if the environment where you can work anywhere, including open-air work, will be more and more developed." (Minoura)

Frequent failures of "Aozora Work"

When you try to do Aozora Work, there are also cases of failure.

We asked Ms. Kotono Kimura, who is in charge of public relations at INFORICH, about the mistakes that beginners tend to make.

"When you go out to work in the blue sky, it's a common story that your PC and smartphone have only 15% power remaining. Also, there were no outlets in the cafe, or there were no seats where you could use an outlet!" It seems that there are many failures, so don't forget the charger and mobile battery.

There are also cases where there are a lot of children playing energetically in the park and it is not possible to work. For tips on finding a park suitable for blue sky work, see "Is there a lot of playground equipment or little?" Parks with a lot of playground equipment attract more children, so if you aim for a park with less playground equipment, I think you will be able to find a park that is suitable for your work.” (Mr. Kimura)

Six Items I Want to Bring to Blue Sky Work

Therefore, I asked Mr. Kimura to list six items that he would like to bring with him to work in the blue sky.

“There is no power supply in parks and cafes, so a mobile battery is essential to start working right away in your favorite place. For those people, we recommend using a smartphone charger sharing service.” (Mr. Kimura)

"Free Wi-Fi is available in more and more places, but there is a risk of unauthorized access and virus infection of digital devices. It would be a problem if confidential corporate information was stolen, so we recommend using pocket Wi-Fi. Carrying Fi is essential.” (Mr. Kimura)

"When you have an online meeting, the outside noise interferes with the open sky work, making it difficult to hear the voice of the meeting. I think wireless earphones are essential to hear the meeting voice directly. Wireless earphones are more stress-free than corded earphones, so I recommend them." (Mr. Kimura)

``When you're working in the open sky, there may be an unspecified number of people around you when you're concentrating on your work. (Kimura-san)

"The height of the chair and desk varies depending on where you work, such as a cafe or a park table.

If you can make fine adjustments so that you can use your laptop in a position that does not cause you to get tired, you can concentrate more on your work. You can buy one at a reasonable price these days, such as one that can be adjusted to the most comfortable angle for you, so be sure to prepare one.” (Kimura)

"The temperature is going down from now on. It can get a little chilly while working in the park. If you have a rechargeable body warmer that can be charged with a USB, it's eco-friendly, and it's ideal for keeping your body warm and your head cool." It will be a blue sky work environment.” (Mr. Kimura)

Even when you practice blue sky work, you want to be well refreshed while taking proper infection control measures without letting your guard down just because it is outdoors. Let's practice by referring to common mistakes and items.