This “office” madness takes social distance to the extreme in NYC – Telemundo New York (47)

NEW YORK – Offices across the country have been trying to find new ways to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Some companies are allowing employees to work from home for the foreseeable future; others are adding bulkheads and distancing employees.

Improv Everywhere, a comedy performing acts company, took a few steps further, creating the “office with the greatest social distance” in New York City on October 10.

The “office” was a simple raft anchored in the East River. While it seemed small, the floating raft had everything an employee needs: a water cooler, office furniture, and a computer with a working internet – all of that was installed on board. Essentials against COVID-19, such as hand sanitizer and Lysol, were also included.

Jesse Good, the Improv Everywhere “agent” aboard the raft, was brought in by launch. Immediately, he participated in a Zoom call with other Improv Everywhere artists.

Good even wore an orange life jacket to make sure he would be safe if the structure capsized.

Missing an office staple on the ship? Snacks, but the team came up with a solution for that, sending a member out to the raft in a rowboat to deliver some socially estranged potato chips, energy bars, and tea.

The funny joke, made in collaboration with the Tideland Institute, quickly attracted interest: on the shore, many stopped to look at the floating office. Signage posted by the comedy collective, designed to look like official documentation from the city’s buildings department, said the raft was the first of many floating offices to come.

In the water, a passing group of jet skis noticed the spectacle.

When a private boat passed by, interest in the floating office only increased: One of the passengers took a video of the floating setup and shared it on TikTok, where it went viral, racking up more than a million views and hundreds of comments.

“When your boss tells you more, go with the flow,” joked one user.

Someone else pointed out that the floating office was missing a key feature. “I wonder where the bathroom is. The river?” the user asked, along with a laughing emoji.

In a recap of the event, Improv Everywhere said they were glad the event was fun for many.

“Overall, it was a super fun day with lots of great reactions and comments from New Yorkers,” the organization wrote. “It’s been a long year for everyone, and it felt really good to get back out there and do what we do, even if it had to be done at extreme social distance!”

This story first appeared in English in TODAY.com. To read more of TODAY in Spanish, click below:

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