Virtual offices work for some people, but perhaps not for everyone. In this blog we will discuss several factors to help you decide if a virtual office is really right for you.
What is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a service that enables employees and business owners to work remotely by providing the key and essential business functions through an online service. These include having a business address, mail handling, receptionist, meeting rooms, phone calls and many more facilities that allow you to work from anywhere whilst having a base for your ‘head-office’. Virtual offices are becoming increasingly attractive to many businesses in the current day, due to the flexibility it brings not just to the working routine day, but to their finances.
How Does It Work?
The idea for a virtual office service has been developed over time and with the current pandemic it makes absolute sense to change the way we are working to remain profitable, but also efficient, in these modern times. It mitigates the cost of renting or owning office space, whilst still providing many of the benefits. Members simply join on a monthly or annual basis and the rest is done for them. Think of it like a having a virtual assistant. Business calls from a professional number, mail handling which means your address appears as an established office in a city centre location, the use of meeting rooms should you need to meet clients in a location away from your home, the benefits are endless!
Is It Right for Me?
If you are already working from home or temporarily remotely, the flexibility side of this way of working will already be apparent to you. Maybe your business has had to get rid of their office altogether. Or they simply cannot afford the high running costs of owning a building in a city. The way a virtual office helps is by taking those key services and business necessities such as a reputable business address and deals with them on a professional basis. Virtual offices provide an environment that is free from travel costs, expensive coffee, meal deal lunches, business expenses and the negative impact on the environment. Simply allowing employees to work from anywhere, opens a whole new aspect of productivity and lowering business overheads that could never be achieved before, when everyone was in the office full time.
What If I Miss My Colleagues?
For some companies who need that in person support of their colleagues, a hot desk membership might be the right choice for them. Hot desks are becoming more common and are well supported choice for many businesses who value that in person collaboration, but who still desire to have flexibility around owning an office space and having set work hours. Hot desks can be accessed at any time of the day and can be increased or decreased on a daily or monthly basis depending on how many memberships you require. It might be that a combination of the two, virtual office and hot desk, is right for you. The benefits of a hot desk are much the same as a virtual office, but with the added interaction, it can provide a more productive workforce.
What Would I Gain?
Ultimately having employees work remotely does require a huge amount of trust, but this way of working also helps build up this trust relationship. The few downfalls that moving to remote working might bring are overcome using initiative and communicating your ideals within your workforce. You do not need to be renting a permanent office where you are tied in for a year at a time, virtual offices mitigate this risk due to their memberships working around you.
So, before you make the decision to take a virtual office, figure out your business needs and communicate this to current and potential employees. You never know, it could just the thing your business is waiting for.
Get in touch for more information; enquiries@cubowork.com 0800 038 97 97
