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The internet is obsessed with this extremely socially distanced office setup

A performance art group created an extremely coronavirus-safe office space, and the Internet went wild.
ImprovEverywhere.com

Offices around the country have been trying to come up with new ways to cope during the coronavirus pandemic. Some companies are letting employees work from home for the foreseeable future; others are adding protective partitions and distancing employees.

Improv Everywhere, a comedic performance arts company, took it a few steps further, creating the "most socially distanced office" in New York City on Oct. 10.

The raft sails under a bridge spanning the East River.
The raft sails under a bridge spanning the East River. Thomas Concordia / ImprovEverywhere.com

The "office" was a simple raft anchored in the East River. While it seemed small, the floating site had everything an employee needs: A water cooler, office furniture and a battery-powered computer with working internet were all installed aboard. COVID-19 staples, like hand sanitizer and Lysol, were also included.

Jesse Good, the Improv Everywhere "agent" onboard the raft, was brought out by motorboat. Immediately, he hopped on a Zoom call with other Improv Everywhere performers.

The fully functional office had everything, including Zoom calls.
The fully functional office had everything, including Zoom calls. Thomas Concordia / ImprovEverywhere.com

Good even wore an orange life vest to make sure that he'd stay safe if the structure capsized.

One office staple missing from the boat? Snacks — but the team had a solution for that, sending one member out to the raft in a rowboat to deliver some socially distanced chips, energy bars and tea.

A snack boat delivers supplies to the floating office.
A snack boat delivers supplies to the floating office. Thomas Concordia / ImprovEverywhere.com

The fun prank, done in collaboration with the Tideland Institute, quickly attracted interest: On the shore, many stopped to look at the floating office. Signage put up by the comedy collective, designed to look like official paperwork from the city department of buildings, said that the raft was the first of many floating offices to come.

Improv Everywhere told passers-by that the raft office was part of a New York Department of Buildings pilot program, which would involve 4,000 of these offices on the East River in the spring, with an additional 6,000 to follow on the Hudson River by summer.
Improv Everywhere told passers-by that the raft office was part of a New York Department of Buildings pilot program, which would involve 4,000 of these offices on the East River in the spring, with an additional 6,000 to follow on the Hudson River by summer.Courtesy ImprovEverywhere.com

Out on the water, a passing group of jet skiers took notice of the spectacle.

Jet skiers greet the distanced office.
Jet skiers greet the distanced office. Thomas Concordia / ImprovEverywhere.com

When a private boat passed by, interest in the floating office only spiked: 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.

A couple on a private boat sailed past, and their reactions are priceless.
A couple on a private boat sailed past, and their reactions are priceless. Thomas Concordia / ImprovEverywhere.com

"When your boss tells you to more 'go with the flow," joked one user.

Someone else pointed out that the floating office was missing a key feature. "I am wondering where the restroom is? The river?" the user asked, along with a laughing emoji.

The raft set off from Brooklyn's Main Street Park.
The raft set off from Brooklyn's Main Street Park. ImprovEverywhere.com

In a summary of the event, Improv Everywhere said they had been glad to see the event go so well.

"All in all a super fun day with lots of great reactions and feedback from New Yorkers," wrote the organization. "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 an extreme social distance!"