A virtual office combines professional work with the blend of a
home feel to gain working efficiencies in both forms. For many
home-based professionals, skilled and semi-skilled workers who take up
work on contract assignments and work to a fixed schedule in industry
sectors like building and home construction, home maintenance,
carpentry, plumbing, mechanical and electrical contractors, auto
agencies etc, a virtual office that provides them the benefits of a
professional image without the expenses involved in maintaining a
conventional, high-cost office environment.
Besides the many benefits that virtual offices provide for businesses and companies on an operational level, there are many intangibles that can be gained. For e.g.
• Reduction in environmental impact - air-conditioning, electrical and electronics use increases carbon emissions
• Enabling of operating files and records through SaaS (software as a service) and cloud servers, thus saving stationery
• Reduction in daily commute to office location thus allowing more time for work
• Flexibility to match expenditure with fluctuations in revenue
• Advantage of low-cost expansion spread over long-term
• Fewer overheads in employee records maintenance, payroll expenditure, rentals, insurance etc.
• Increases in employee commitment, morale and productivity
• Improvement in employee recruitment and retention
• Decreases in sick and annual leaves
Of course, with the good there are some elements of the bad; it is rather easy to point out the advantages and benefits of a virtual office when compared to a serviced office space. Some of the perceived disadvantages of a virtual office arise mainly from the fact that is requires 'telecommuting' of employees through a virtual office.
• The flexibility in functioning from an assortment of locations can be sometimes less advantageous.
• Lack of a central office or base for employees to interact on a business level as communication problems from location to location may arise due to complete dependency on technology
• Not a good solution if employee interaction and meetings with associates on a daily basis is required in a physical office setup.
• Less to nil lack of social interaction between employees cannot contribute towards building a company's image or branding; it can also create to poor communication and misunderstanding through non-verbal communication which is the case when people in an office setup do not interact face-to-face
• Working from a virtual environment can sometimes be a distraction and can lead to lack of motivation of self-discipline resulting in non-productive assets; on the other hand, for a highly motivated and independent individual, a virtual office can boost productivity.
Besides the many benefits that virtual offices provide for businesses and companies on an operational level, there are many intangibles that can be gained. For e.g.
• Reduction in environmental impact - air-conditioning, electrical and electronics use increases carbon emissions
• Enabling of operating files and records through SaaS (software as a service) and cloud servers, thus saving stationery
• Reduction in daily commute to office location thus allowing more time for work
• Flexibility to match expenditure with fluctuations in revenue
• Advantage of low-cost expansion spread over long-term
• Fewer overheads in employee records maintenance, payroll expenditure, rentals, insurance etc.
• Increases in employee commitment, morale and productivity
• Improvement in employee recruitment and retention
• Decreases in sick and annual leaves
Of course, with the good there are some elements of the bad; it is rather easy to point out the advantages and benefits of a virtual office when compared to a serviced office space. Some of the perceived disadvantages of a virtual office arise mainly from the fact that is requires 'telecommuting' of employees through a virtual office.
• The flexibility in functioning from an assortment of locations can be sometimes less advantageous.
• Lack of a central office or base for employees to interact on a business level as communication problems from location to location may arise due to complete dependency on technology
• Not a good solution if employee interaction and meetings with associates on a daily basis is required in a physical office setup.
• Less to nil lack of social interaction between employees cannot contribute towards building a company's image or branding; it can also create to poor communication and misunderstanding through non-verbal communication which is the case when people in an office setup do not interact face-to-face
• Working from a virtual environment can sometimes be a distraction and can lead to lack of motivation of self-discipline resulting in non-productive assets; on the other hand, for a highly motivated and independent individual, a virtual office can boost productivity.
