If your business startup is struggling despite a professional office setting, why not ditch the office all together? Throw all that office furniture into a self storage unit and send your employees home. I’m sure they won’t be too upset to receive that memo, and it could very well be the smartest decision you ever made.
Choosing turn your physical office into a virtual office is smart for two reasons: one, you’re bound to save your company thousands of dollars, and two, you’re sure to help the planet out a little bit too.
The advent of sophisticated cloud computing, advanced mobile technology, and the lowered reliance on centralized workstations have done a lot to question the importance of having an office. At one time, you needed an actual place to hold meetings, keep records, monitor employees, and demonstrate to clients and customers that you’re serious. But the majority of these things have been rendered obsolete by the rapid deployment of high speed mobile communication in every facet of working life. Even the office being a place to declare to those you cater that you mean business is an archaic argument when you consider that nearly 80 percent of people make up their mind about a business based on what they find on the Internet.
What about the workers? Won’t they slack off if they do their jobs from home? Exactly knowing how the majority of workers would respond to working remotely has yet to be completely understood, but studies consistently indicate that employees are happier and more productive when not working in the office.
Then there are the ecological incentives. Office buildings use up enormous amounts of energy throughout the year, and individual businesses suck up millions of pounds of paper every year, not to mention, eject nearly as much in waste. Not having an office will mean that your business will greatly reduce the amount of resources it uses to conduct itself. That’s the kind of innovative thinking that not only earns you the respect of those like-minded about the environment, but also puts you ahead of the pack.
There’s little reason why any business should be operating out of an office these days. It’s simply outdated and is only going to inhibit further competitive performance. If you care about being green and saving green, you should say goodbye to the office. Your employees are sure to thank you for it as well as the environment.
