‘Laptop squatter’ is the new term for remote workers who set up shop in cafés for hours on end.

If you go into any coffee shop around Ireland, you may see several people sitting at laptops - and it has become a thing where such people might remain there for hours having bought only one cup of coffee.

Freelance journalist Niamh O’Reilly has been voicing her outrage about such behaviour in an article with TheJournal.ie, where she said it is for cafés to pull the plug on the laptop squatters who buy one coffee and hog a table for hours on end.

On Moncrieff, Ms O’Reilly said as a freelance journalist she has headed to the café to work for a change in scenery – but has done so “in moderation”.

“I am someone who only needs their laptop and some Wi Fi to get their work done, so I can work from anywhere and I have certainly, in the past, gone to cafés and set up my laptop - but I haven't outstayed my welcome,” she said.

“I've bought a coffee and maybe stayed an hour, maybe two hours maximum - but I haven't set up camp and stayed for the guts of an entire day on the fumes of that one latte.

“I think coffee shops, especially like the smaller, maybe independent coffee shops, they shouldn't be behind the door in pushing back on this kind of behaviour.

“One token coffee purchase doesn't entitle you to sit there for hours on end, using the facilities and the Wi-Fi and treating the place like your office and the staff like your personal assistants.”

Man works from his computer at The Herbert Cafe, Herbert Street, Northcote, Melbourne, Australia. Image: Alamy

Ms O’Reilly said you see “all sorts of really strange, funny behaviour” from people who work in coffee shops for hours.

“You regularly see people having, you know, Zoom calls, but they don't have their headphones with them, so we all have to hear about the key performance indicators,” she said.

“Or people will bring their headphones but then they will start walking around the cafes while they're on the phone and I do get that - I'm the sort of person who walks around when I'm on the phone, but not when I'm in a cafe.

“Regularly you'll see people say, ‘I have to go to the bathroom, can you keep an eye on my laptop there, and while you're at it, can you send me over an Americano?’

“It's a counter service place, you know, and they're treating the staff like their personal assistants and they're treating the space as if it's their home office or something.”

Woman entrepreneur working from cafe and talking on mobile phone. Image: Alamy

Ms O’Reilly added that these ‘laptop squatters’ are “really stingy”.

“I don't there's anything wrong with doing a bit of work from a café - it is nice to have a change of scene, but I just think be fair with it and order maybe more than a coffee and don't take up a table for maybe four or six people, which I have seen and during busy lunchtime,” she said.

“Most cafés are only daytime operations and lunchtime literally is their bread and butter and if you're taking up a big table and they're missing out on someone buying proper food, it's stingy like - it's just not on.”

Working from home can be quite isolating, Ms O’Reilly said, so these people might miss getting their praise in work.

“If you're working from home it's quite isolating and it's a very virtual sort of space and I think maybe they miss getting their ego plumbed up a little bit so everyone can hear how great they are,” she said.

“We all have to listen to your phone call to Hong Kong and or whatever it is, you know.”

Young Professionals Working on Laptop Computers in Cafe Bar London January 2024. Image: Alamy

Ms O’Reilly said that if you’re working from home, taking a break from your laptop to go to a café is much more rewarding than working from a café.

“I work from home quite a bit and I think it's good to get out of the house, but you don't have to bring your laptop and work when you're out of the house,” she said.

“Go out to a cafe for a genuine break away from your device and because cafes are supposed to be convivial community where maybe you'll have a chat with someone or people watch - do something other than bash away on your laptop or take your sales calls.

“I think when it becomes a sea of laptops, it becomes quite soulless.”

Ms O’Reilly also recommended that remote workers check out their local library as a place to work and get a change of scenery.

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Young Professionals Working on Laptop Computers in Cafe. Image: Alamy