Nowadays, more and more businesses consider offering remote working as a permanent option. And, while employees enjoy greater autonomy and flexible working schedules, business proprietors and project leaders are looking for ways to manage their remote teams. This task may look quite challenging and even intimidating, especially if you haven’t tried the other options except working from a physical office. But, in fact, everything is much easier than it seems from the first sight. Modern commercial real estate market, alongside traditional brick and mortar workspaces, has given rise to completely new options - virtual offices. What does it mean and why does this new working culture capture tenants’ attention? Let’s delve into this topic in order to understand what benefits the virtual office may bring to your business and how to get your business processes right via the Internet network.
The virtual office is a part of the flexible commercial real estate industry, a workspace that ensures the possibility of operating tasks from any corner of the world, at the same time using a chosen commercial address for business purposes. In other words, it allows tenants to establish the business presence in a preferred location, that is credible and recognisable, without making them pay a huge amount of money for the rent of a brick and mortar space. The virtual office concept has established its roots not so long ago, but, up to now, it has managed to become a smart and practical way of operating businesses successfully all around the world.
Essentially, the virtual office works as a single unit, but, when renting it, you and your employees are not stuck to one physical location. The majority of work is performed via the Internet, and the team members choose where it is most convenient for them to do tasks. At the same time, the virtual office rental also predicts the possibility of making use of conference rooms and other physical spaces upon request in a location where the virtual business address is rented. Usually, the payment is asked on a monthly basis, which is an essential advantage in planning the rental budget.
A significant factor in making the decision to switch to a virtual office model is the issue of recruitment. This office solution allows you to get the best team of employees on the planet because you don’t necessarily have to hire professionals from the particular city or town(where you rent the business address). Certainly, a pool of the potential candidates to get a job offer from you looks a lot more exciting.
If you have decided on going remote but still are not sure what to start with to organise the working process in the best way for you and your teammates, the following 5 tips for working from the virtual office will definitely be helpful.
When switching to the virtual workspace, you can not apply the same tools as you did when working in the physical office. Virtual office software allows your teammates to collaborate productively, and tackle tasks with ease. Some of the generally used virtual office features that help to create an efficient working environment for each and every employee are screen sharing, video conferencing facilities, the use of apps like Microsoft Team, etc.
In general, virtual office software is subdivided into several types: project management, productivity management, video conferencing, instant messaging, team collaboration, cloud storage, etc. These and other tools help a distributed team get the best coworking experience possible, as well as ensure a greater sense of belonging.
For perfect project management and distributing tasks between the team members apps like Trello, Basecamp, Asana, and Jira are most widely used. Staying in contact with each other and sharing files is possible via Slack and iMessage. Video conferencing runs smoothly with Zoom or GoogleMeet. In case you need to establish a social media presence - pay attention to the Workplace by Facebook and LinkedIn.
It is a well-known fact that modern employees do not require an office to concentrate on tasks. Lots of people consider the office environment a place to get distracted by everything and everyone. Nowadays, the office is a spot for collaboration and communication, and, when given the choice, employees often prefer to gather together one or two days per week to talk, exchange ideas, and socialise. When setting up a virtual office, do not stick to the “office label”. On the contrary, try to create a virtual environment where each and every member could feel maximally comfortable, regardless of the actual place they use for conducting work. When possible, think about a place to invite your team for meetings, product presentations, brainstorming sessions, etc. As you probably remember, many virtual office packages ensure an opportunity to make use of a physical workspace.
It is true that sharing company rules and delegating tasks is significantly easier when you have all your team in one place. Still, it is possible to manage a working schedule by implementing an organisational work culture. The virtual team feels more cohesive when each employee understands his or her responsibilities, knows everything about scheduled meetings and is never late for them, etc. Sometimes, it is even necessary to set up approximate virtual office hours so that you can count on your teammates’ assistance in case of necessity. Last but not least, the organisation of the working culture also includes teambuilding activities. They play an important role in the process of team bonding and keeping people connected outside their work responsibilities.
Nowadays there are many activity tracking tools, used by employers. You may believe it or not, but practice shows it is better not to use these tools for evaluating employee’s performance. Trust - don’t track, because it is probably the only way to make working virtually a success. If you treat employees like adults, they will act like adults. Work activity throughout the day depends on many factors. And, it is ultimately important to achieve results rather than to concentrate on how many mouseclicks your employee has made. Each person is an individual. Thus, some people are more productive in the mornings, others show better performance at night. If it is possible, let your colleagues be flexible in their working schedules, but keep focused on the established goals and you will see that the workers will finally show great results.
A true business leader will build relationships within the company on trust and only on trust. A true employer leads by the example, ensuring all the other team members in the fact that business goes in the right direction. Optimistic and encouraged workers bring much success to the business. At the same time, they should not be afraid to express their concerns regarding work(tasks, schedules, risen problems, etc.). Even if it is the virtual office you have established, your employees should feel protected and supported.
Remote working means the possibility to work from literally anywhere where the WIFI connection is available, be it your home office, a library, a cafe, a campsite or a beach. With the establishment of a virtual office, the opportunities are limitless, exciting, and empowering. Just embrace them and you will get reassured that working virtually is a new mode of making your business successful in this fluctuating world.
