London — Working from home is the new normal for millions of people in the UK, and Surrey County Cricket Club has seen an opportunity to increase its presence in the south London Field.
Surrey, one of England’s most successful teams, are encouraging hybrid workers to come and do their jobs at Kia Oval, a 180-year-old ground just south of the River Thames.
In the winter, it upgraded the Wi-Fi and set up separate work areas with desks, access to electricity and clear views of the game. “Work from the Oval,” it has been dubbed.
It pondered whether it was “the best home office in the country” and crucially assured prospective employees that “we won’t tell your boss.”
Hundreds of people have taken up the opportunity to work at the Oval hosting three home four-day County Championship matches this season.
England’s premier competition has been mocked for decades due to its relatively low attendances – the description of a man and his dog is regularly recited, albeit inappropriately.
That was certainly not the case at the Kia Oval on Friday when Surrey hosted Sussex on their first match day. Over 6,000 people attended, the crowd was pumped up by the glorious weather and the prospect of a full day – over seven hours – of cricket ahead.
Although the capacity of the ground is around 27,500, it’s actually not a bad crowd during a weekday. oval sold out England test match against other countries and for Surrey’s short-format games.
Harry Ashton, director of Elite Finance Solutions, usually works from a coworking space in nearby Wimbledon. He took advantage of the opportunity to work at the Oval for only 15 pounds ($20).
Referring to his local club in the north-west of England, he quipped, “It’s not as good as Lytham Cricket Club.”
Later some of Ashton’s friends joined in and after a few hours of work, they enjoyed a beer or two. After all, it was Friday and the beginning of a three-day weekend as Monday is a public holiday in the UK.
In recent years, especially after Covid-19 pandemicIt’s clear that many people have their laptops at the Oval. Arguably, the shift towards hybrid work has become the main legacy of the pandemic.
Although more and more companies are forcing their employees to come into the office, more than a quarter of working adults in the UK work remotely some of the time, according to the Office for National Statistics. Critics argue that hybrid working is having a negative impact on productivity, an individual’s work ethic, and the broader economy as a whole.
On this particular Friday all the evidence was that dozens of people working on the ground were doing just that. Numbers were crunched and Zoom calls were held.
“Generally I’m a big believer in life, if you treat someone like an adult, they’ll treat you like an adult too,” said Neil Munro, owner of Munron Consulting Ltd.
Matthew Balch, himself a keen club cricketer, agrees.
“I think all counties should lean into the remote employee-freelancer market to increase attendance,” he said.
Some employees were very scared.
The 46-year-old woman, who works in a global company, insisted on keeping her identity confidential and expressed concerns about how she would be perceived.
There is still a stigma.
