The Virtual Workspace

How would you describe your current workspace? A desk with a computer in a business office? Is it your car, your home, any public place with a secure wireless connection, or all of the above?

Consider the new paradigm of work – anytime, anywhere, in real space or in cyberspace. For many employers the virtual workplace, in which employees operate remotely from each other and from managers, is a reality now, and all indications are that it will become even more prevalent in the future.

According to US teleworking advocacy group Global Workplace Analytics, 50% of the US workforce holds a job which is compatible with home-working and the work-from-home population has increased by 103% since 2005.

Technology is opening up a whole different kind of workspace.   For virtual workspaces to be effective, there has to be a tool set available; online collaboration requires some common use of technology. Fortunately, there are plenty available; Skype-for-Business, Slack, blogs, forums, Facebook, Google Hangouts and many, many others.

Contemporary business has become a diverse landscape of distance and connectivity, making clear communication between all parties essential, so that trust is built from the beginning.

Cloud-based phone systems offer businesses the ability to function effectively, and communicate from anywhere in the world, using systems such as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

By making it easy to manage calls, instant messaging and conferencing from multiple devices, communication lines stay open and clear.

 

These advances are not just great for small companies with remote workers.  Big, international companies with offices world-wide benefit as well. SAP, IBM and GE are three big players that leverage the advantages that distributed teams offer, and manage to thrive despite the distance between offices and workers. Cloud technology allows employers to offer more flexible working arrangements and increase work-force satisfaction. You might not be able to completely abandon your office building but technology exists which can make the daily commute a thing of the past for some parts of your business and shouldn’t be ignored.  Flexjobs compiled a list of 125 companies whose teams mostly work from home.

(excerpt, see full infographic here)

 

Aside from employee satisfaction there are other advantages to expanding crowded offices to a virtual platform:

  • The resource pool we rely on to fill our constant demand for talent, experts and specialists expands from our immediate vicinity to the world.
  • Research indicates that people are more productive, creative and make fewer mistakes when working in a stress-free environment.
  • Lowered expenses and overheads on office environments.
  • Less commuting results in lower emissions per employee, lower transport costs and less traffic on the roads for those who have to have to be there.
  • Virtual teams save time, travel expenses, and eliminate a potential lack of access to experts.

CEOs and Founders need to think about offering remote work to employees as a way to entice them to join or to stay. Let’s be honest, the prospect of avoiding traffic and working in our pyjamas at least a day a week is something most of us would jump at. Instead of salary increases, give your team a bit more flexibility, and see how that positively impacts morale and productivity!

 

Here are a few tips and tricks to manage remote teams or to work collaboratively with teams from various locations:

  • Slack– a platform that connects teams with the apps, services, and resources they need to get work done.
  • Google Drive – Drive came out in 2011 and it is great for online collaboration. Google Suite was designed for the cloud and it shows: It eliminates redundancy, helps keep everything secure and allows true collaboration in real time.
  • Online PM Tools– There are many project management tools available such as Asana, Basecamp, Trello, Jira, Hubspot and Wrike to name a few.
  • Video & Web Conferencing – There is something unique about in-person meetings. Use tools that allow video calls and screen sharing. These make a huge difference when you need to tackle a serious issue or show a colleague something that isn’t online. Good examples include Google Hangouts, Skype, GoToMeeting, me, Zoom and Anymeeting.
  • Co-working Spaces– It can get pretty isolated working alone from home. Although coffee shops are good, sometimes you need a space that’s a bit more professional. Co-working spaces are great for that. The local scene has exploded recently with many options now available including The Bureaux , Akro,  Workshop 17, No 80 Hout Street , and Spin Street House.

Remote working is fast becoming a necessary part of our work lives. Like it or not, Millennials, who will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, have a marked preference for flex work (hours and location) and it is a point of filter for the jobs they take or reject.  With advances in tech – ubiquitous Internet, video conferencing, collaborative tools – working remotely has never been easier, and the rise in Digital Nomads seems to indicate that the trend is going to keep increasing.