NEW YORK (NYTIMES) - At the start of a Caveday session, gentle music plays. A facilitator welcomes the participants – a group of strangers who are there to work towards their personal goals – and may share inspirational quotes. 

It’s not yoga class. It’s a Zoom room and the dozens of people who are logged on have paid to work in silence for an hour or three with people they do not know looking on. 

For a monthly fee of US$39.99 (S$56), users can schedule unlimited sessions in Zoom “caves”. There, it is possible to watch fellow workers furrow their brows and scratch their heads, as they work towards stated goals ranging from “brainstorm outline” to “find clarity”. 

Over two years into working from home, many people are finding that a desk and a chair – even if it is a really nice ergonomic one purchased with a company stipend – do not an office make. 

With no clear end to remote work in sight for many white- collar employees, some are trying to import something more elusive into their home offices: the feeling of accountability (or simply guilt) that comes from being observed by others while at work. 

Often referred to as “virtual co-working” platforms, a slew of technology tools allow people to be seen working – but, crucially, not by bosses who might surveil their output or co-workers who might want something from them. 

The platforms are especially popular with freelancers, entrepreneurs, students and people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who are seeking structure and accountability. 

Fans describe it as combining the freedom of remote work with the extra focus that comes with someone else working nearby. 

Some workplace experts say that for people who are not working in an office, this facsimile of open-plan accountability may be a decent middle ground. 

Dr Nick Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University, said there is a quality of “workiness” that many find helpful in a traditional office. “You’re in a professional environment, people are getting work done and you should too,” he said. 

Virtual platforms could help recreate some of that feeling, he added. “You’re taking part of the office experience, maybe 10 or 20 per cent of it, maybe more for some people, and replicating it. I see it as something that will have a niche appeal.” 

Ms Beck Tench, 43, a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington’s Information School, logs in to a platform called Focusmate four to 12 times each day. 

The service, which costs US$5 a month, allows her to schedule one-to-one silent work sessions with strangers around the world. 

At the start of a session, each person shares what he hopes to get done. Then, they get to work on their separate projects and check in again at the end. 

“I was kind of apprehensive at first because I had these visions of bad things happening with Internet strangers,” she said. But “all experiences have been on the plus side of neutral”. 

Focusmate chief executive Taylor Jacobson  said the company has no tolerance for harassment on the platform. 

Ms Tench’s typical workday, in the 300 sq ft home on Bainbridge Island, Washington, that she shares with her partner, begins at 6am. Before the pandemic, she worked in a large shared office with about a dozen other graduate students. 

“It was full of distractions,” she said. “Every person that came in, you would say hello to, and you would be thrown off.” 

Now, she often works from her van or from the roof of her home. Anywhere but the office, which she does not anticipate returning to for the foreseeable future. 

Those who find the virtual spaces appealing often use them repeatedly. 

Ms Alyssa Padron, 27, who works at a non-profit organisation in Austin, Texas, logs in to Caveday sessions three times a week (Goal: Work on a project management certificate). 

Ms Michelle Retter, 31, a tech entrepreneur in Portland, Maine, logs in to Flow Club from her bedroom for two or three hours every weekday (Goal: Move through her public to-do list). 

Ms Maria De Maci, 51, a teacher in Riverside, California, uses the service several times a week in the summer (Goal: Make progress on her novel). 

Ms Padron, Ms Retter and Ms De Maci all said they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and that they found it useful to schedule work blocks to stay accountable and on task. 

“I think it’s even kind of a fake sense of accountability,” said Ms Padron. But it still helps. 

These tools can also be useful for people who do not work in a traditional office environment each day. 

Mr Chad Brooks, 43, a pastor in Alexandria, Louisiana, has spent up to 12 hours a week on Caveday. “Sermon preparation is just deep work,” said Mr Brooks, who also coaches other pastors and hosts a podcast. He said he sometimes also books sessions on Preacher’s Block, a virtual co-working platform for spiritual leaders. 

Mr Anthony Ronda, 30, a software engineer in Hillsdale, New Jersey, who is starting a virtual tabletop game company, joins several Focusmate sessions a day and has found value in being accountable to another person while he works. 

He met his partner on Focusmate earlier this year. The two plan to meet in person for the first time later this month. 

He said they kept finding each other on the other side of the camera as they were logging on to sessions at the same time; soon, they started scheduling times to work together and exchanged phone numbers. 

“Obviously, it’s not a dating platform,” he said of Focusmate. “It just kind of happened that way.” 

He does not plan to return to an office any time soon.