Seen At 11: New Age Networking Takes Employees Outside Of Their Comfort Zones

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The latest trend in business is not about logging long office hours or sitting in a stuffy conference room.

As CBS2's Kristine Johnson reported, employees are being encouraged to get out of their comfort zone to inspire creativity in new age networking.

"People do deals on a golf course, a lot of deals are getting done on a bike ride as well," an employee at T Edward Wines said.

Riding is actually a key element of the company's culture.

"It builds relationships, brings you closer to people, great talking about wine on two wheels," Karen said.

"We actually did some business on the way over here and I'm sure we'll do some more business on the way back," Sean said.

"Business is never just business, and people often gain a competitive edge by getting to know their client and colleagues as people," Laura Vanderkam added.

Vanderkam is a time management expert who said the new rule in business is to break the rules.

"There is no better way to build up trust with people than to do things that are out of the ordinary," she explained.

Take 'sweatworking' for example. It's the new name for scheduled business meetings in the gym.

"It's just a better way to kind of do double time, get a meeting in and a workout at the same time," Jeanette Zinno said.

It's a regular part of the fitness scene at some gyms.

"They end up feeling and getting a better experience because they are engaged on so many levels," Newsha Mostafavi said.

For a team of handbag designers the nail salon provides creative inspiration.

"We're talking about things that we need to talk about in the business and we're having some fun," one of them explained.

Experts said make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever physical activity is being done.

"If you can combine a meeting with something else that is pleasurable and enjoyable then that can make you more effective in a greater sense," Vanderkam said.

For new business ventures it might be wise to start with a more traditional meeting until there is some sort of established relationship.