The Virtual Workplace: Looking at the Newest Business Trend

Every day more and more businesses are making the decision to operate as virtual workplaces, opting out of the costs that are associated with running a physical office. With the recent advances in technology there is almost nothing the average employee can do from an office that they can't do from their own home. Working from home saves employees the money that they would spend commuting to and from work and also allows them to get more sleep in the morning, with the option of still going into a virtual office when necessary. This keeps them more alert and happier and as a result they become more effective when they sit down to work.

How Popular Is Telecommuting Becoming?

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) recently polled HR executives at leading companies that operate around the world and 43% of them have said that in the next five years we will see a significantly larger portion of the workplace telecommuting. In a study on American workplaces in the last five years, Nemertes Research found that there has been an 800% increase in virtual workers over this time period. As larger companies start to get a better understanding of technology they are realizing that a surprising number of employees do not need to work from an office. With more employees working from home the businesses can downsize offices, using virtual office services when larger spaces are necessary.

More Flexible Working Hours

Physical offices limit the range of hours that employees can work, nobody likes staying at the office for stuff that needs to be done into the later hours of the night. This same problem isn't that big of a deal when the employee is working from home; most telecommuters aren't as affected by changes in their schedule as other workers are. Companies have more freedom to stagger employee hours to deal with issues that can only be dealt with at non-peak office hours, without having to pay out overtime or deal with an unmotivated employee.

A Significant Decrease in Operating Costs

When employees telecommute it results in a smaller physical office space needed by their employer, if one is even needed at all. The costs associated with running an office are large, everything from the lease and electric bills down to phone lines, internet connections and office supplies both large (computers, printers) and small (paper, stationary) need to be paid for. When employees work from home or via a virtual office all of these costs are removed, saving businesses a lot of money over the long run.

Although there are businesses that obviously can't transition into a virtual office, there are many that can. The amount of companies using virtual offices increases every year and even the ones that aren't making the change still have employees telecommute. When you sit down at your desk you should ask yourself, "is there anything I'm doing here that I couldn't be doing from home?" The answer may surprise you. For more information about our virtual office services, click here!