The trend of having a virtual office is quite contemporary and modern. It has become the most sought after strategy for all kinds of businesses. Their implementation ranges from 2-3 independent workers to huge networks which have hundreds of employees working for them. People are finding it more attractive than the traditional workplace because it gives them the flexibility to work from the area of their choice. People got to know about this concept for the first time in the year 1983. The virtual offices mostly use the mailbox or the executive suite for providing address for business. Though, they have a business address but they actually work from their homes.
Pros of having a virtual office
One of the greatest advantage of having a virtual office is that it saves a lot of money. Nowadays, commercial office premises are very expensive and small business owners find it difficult to rent them. The virtual office Sydney helps such businessmen and their employees to work from their home offices. People love these jobs even though they may be slightly less paid because of the convenience they get working from home.
The employers and the business owners get a much wider employment pool. They can easily increase their hiring capacity and get the best employees to work for them. Virtual offices can hire national and international employees without actually meeting them in person. The whole process of hiring happens over the internet and the phone. They can have web interviews and conferencing with their employees without calling them to meet personally.
The sales are also seen to improve in companies and businesses where they use virtual offices. The sales team is usually located at various places. It’s easier to approach the customers residing in different cities. The team working in that particular area can look after the business prospects of the company. In this way, the geographic distribution of the employees helps to capture the market at various locations which otherwise would have been difficult.
Cons of having a virtual office
The employees at various locations are hundreds of miles apart from the actual employer. This isolation makes the virtual employees independent. They begin to solve issues at their own level. Most of the times, the employer is unaware of the problem. By the time, the problem is communicated to the employer it becomes unmanageable.
The virtual office runs on faith. The employers and employees hardly meet each other. Most of the meetings and communications happen on the webcam or the phone. The employer has to trust his instincts while appointing an employee. The work can get affected if the person appointed fails to meet the requirements of the business. It is difficult if not impossible to monitor the activities of the employees from far. At times, personal and one-to-one interaction becomes necessary to get optimum productivity.
In conclusion, it can be ascertained that virtual office can be beneficial for small businessmen who are willing to set up and maintain good interactive work scenario with their sales team.
