Since you’re looking for professional office solutions, you may be considering one or more of the following options:
- Collaborative workspace
- Fully furnished offices
- Office space leasing
- Office suites
- Temporary office space
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Another option is choosing to have a virtual, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar, office. Virtual offices first began to be commercially applied in 1994, and they are gaining in popularity.
At the end of 2010, the Office Business Center Association International (OBCAI) conducted a financial study of 442 office business centers. As a result of this study, the OBCAI found that there was a significant increase in virtual office usage between 2008 and 2009. In 2008, this unique office solution experienced a 7.8% increase in growth, and in 2009, this growth increased to 18.3%.
While not having to commute is one of the obvious benefits of having a virtual office, there are several other significant benefits. From hiring professional reception services to having on-demand access to conference rooms and offices, using virtual offices provide a unique and convenient solution.
If you are an independent business owner, you may want to consider encouraging your employees to work remotely. A recent study of over 1,000 professionals found that 65% allowed their employees this option.
Furthermore, 67% concurred that their employees were more productive when working remotely.
Another study found that the following industries were the most inclined to use virtual offices:
- Construction
- Consulting
- Entertainment
- Financial
- Healthcare
- Legal
- Marketing and advertising
- Real estate agents
- Real estate brokers
- Retail
- Technology
Sun Microsystems, for example, discovered that when employees were able to work remotely, they actually spent 60% of their prior commute time working. Furthermore, the American Management Association reported that when organizations created a telework program, there were 63% less unscheduled absences.
Another significant benefit cited by employers is financial savings. Results from a recent poll indicated that almost six-out-of-ten employers claimed this was the case when employing remote workers. Furthermore, 46% of the companies polled indicated that they have less attrition.
In addition to not having to commute to work, employees have reported additional benefits. Approximately 80% have stated that they view their ability to work remotely as a major job perk.
It’s clear that many employees don’t want to continue long work commutes, and have changed jobs accordingly. Approximately 14% have recently changed jobs for this reason alone.
When you consider the benefits of virtual office space leasing, it’s also important to note that setting up a virtual office is less time-consuming than setting up a traditional office space.
