Virtual offices are becoming a vision of the future, with many businesses choosing to save money on office space by opting for a virtual office. With modern technology at our disposal, video conferences and inhouse communication via sites like Zoom and Slack work just as well as face-to-face conversations.
What is a Virtual Office?
Applying a virtual office system for your business doesn't mean you won't have a physical office space to use. There are many ways you can set up remote working such as giving your company a permanent business address where you can receive mail and packages, similar to a PO Box. Or hire a business lounge with a managed reception where you can formally greet clients.
As a flow-on effect of the world-wide pandemic, we've seen companies across the world set up their business remotely. With the vast increase in remote working, we've put together a list of companies that already work virtually and the benefits they've seen as a result.
This global company provides an online automation tool for well-known apps such as Slack, Trello and Dropbox. They've managed to build their organisation via a remote working style since their start in 2011. With a team of 250 spread across 28 countries, the CEO and co-founder Wade Foster believes working virtually allows them to hire the right people no matter where they live.
As a design collaboration company for digital products, InVision employees work across 20 countries, allowing talent to thrive from an environment you're comfortable with, rather than based on geographical limitations. InVision believes remote working allows staff to take ownership of their lives they wouldn't otherwise have. Their success at this way of working is shown via companies such as Evernote, Adobe and Airbnb who've used their platform.
Labelled one of the nation's first virtual workforce companies, Working Solutions is an excellent example of a forward-thinking company. Their drive to create better customer and client experiences allowed them to use a remote working system which they believed increased focus and productivity for their staff, whilst allowing a healthy work-life balance. This has led to more than 110,000 registered agents who work remotely across the nation.
Buffer has hired employees from places such as Portland to Sydney where employees work at a seven hour time zone difference. While it might seem impossible to maintain, Buffer makes the collaboration process work and manages to plan company retreats several times a year. Their social media tools are used by prestigious companies such as Zapier due to its straightforward process.
While companies like Trello have a physical office, they also support remote working no matter where you are in the world. The company's collaboration tool helps assign projects to specific employees and keep up with its progress without micromanaging. Trello believe remote working begins with leadership teams setting clear goals and creating a remote-friendly environment is the key to success.
Mozilla, better known as Firefox is a popular web browser alternative to Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Like Trello, the company doesn't entirely work remotely, but 50% of their workforce does. Through their company values, assigning a 'remote buddy' for new starters and their policy of transparency, their staff work together to make this process as seamless as possible.
What are the benefits of a virtual office?
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By working virtually, your company will gain benefits rather than lose them. This includes not being restricted to geographical hiring. You can recruit the best person for the job no matter where they live in the world.
Studies have also shown that daily commuting in the UK averages at 2 hours for 3.7 million workers and actually reduces productivity in the workplace. By working virtually, your employees naturally gain a better work-life balance and feel more refreshed and energised to tackle those daily tasks.
Let's not forget the obvious - the annual savings on rent and facility costs.
Are you looking for a virtual office space? Discover more about the packages Orega have available here.
Header Image Source: Pixabay
