A New Kind of Office for the New Generation
Jennifer Osborne
Kaplan University

A New Kind of Office for the New Generation
For the longest time, office jobs consisted of the same old thing. Employees would get up, get ready, sit in traffic, go into work, punch in, and sit in their cubicle or office until the day ended and went home to get ready to start the process all over again. Now, things are starting to change the offices that we have been accustomed to. As technology grows and expands so does the environment in which we use it. In regards to technology and the office, the two have begun to merge to one. Companies, the existing and the future, are choosing a virtual based type of business. Most, if not all, of the company is controlled and operated through technology and the internet. Converting over has become the popular and innovative thing for business owners to do. Aside from not being able to walk into a building, from the customer’s viewpoint, it goes unnoticed whether a company is virtual or not. Virtual based companies have become more popular and show significant benefits that most find incomparable.
Virtual companies reap benefits not seen by actual businesses. These companies save money that would normally spend on real estate, overhead, supplies, training, and other in-office necessities. Even Davenport and Pearlson (1998) knew many, many, years ago that, “Home offices accomplish the cost-savings objective by replacing company real estate with the employees” (para. 18). They do not need to go find a prime location or worry about how much electricity costs and so forth; these concerns are no longer one of theirs. According to the University of Wisonsin-Milwaukee (UWM, 2010), “employees who telecommute the majority of the work week are more satisfied with their jobs compared to those working mostly in the office…” (para. 1). These employees often get to work right from home. With that privilege, there is no need to stress on common everyday work problems such as, traffic during commute, cost of a daily lunch, or even buying nice work attire. Another positive thing to a virtual company is mostly everything that concerns it, is accessible right from a computer.
Common sense is a strength one needs to run a business that is 100% virtual. An employer must hire people who want to contribute to the growth of the company and weed out anyone who is self-beneficial and not “for” the company. Employers must give critical tests to feel confident they are hiring the right people. As Boitnott (2015) speculates in his article, most people enjoy the concept of telecommuting, only to find out it is not for them. Employers should consider hiring people that are familiar with online communication. People who already use Facebook, Skype, and other popular social media programs will be more comfortable transitioning to a virtual job atmosphere. The employer should make specific instructions to the employee, to ensure things are done correctly and the way they want it. A way to keep new employees on track is to require a specific number of hours they work and to hold them to it (Boitnott, 2015). UWM (2010) also adds some ideas for differentiate an employee’s work at home with their home at home. The idea of a set schedule will further help the transition more comfortable, especially to those accustomed to the ways of an office’s work hours. Fixing a maximum number of emails one can receives daily and urging workers to shut down their computers when they are finished for the day are just two ways of decreasing stress levels in a worker. It can be extremely hard on a CEO of a business to run a virtual company alone, so it is easiest to have a team of people each focusing on a certain part of the company. When in doubt, consultants are available for hire; and by doing so, the same person will advise them all so an employer will know that everyone will be on the same track.
Luckily, modern technology is there to make things less stressful for a team of CEO’s and business executives. Over the last few years, hundreds of different programs have been made to help people communicate over the internet. Many of the most popular are used by business employers to talk to each other and to employees. Skype for Business helps connect employers and employees through video chat. This way if the employee needs a visual explanation or example of what is needed to complete, the employer can show them using this program. Google Drive is a popular program that can send files amongst each other using interactive documents. Google drive is much like doc sharing and the Cloud, they allow access to these files from any computer or phone that is logged into the same account. UberConference is another well-known tool companies use. This program records a meeting held by the employer and archives it for people who may have missed the actual, live meeting. A common issue found by telecommuters around the world is the difficulty to find an appropriate time suitable for two completely different time zones. Luckily, with help from programs like UberConference, archives do help but also add to the distance in personal participation normally felt in person during an in-room meeting.
Virtual-based business have great benefits but can have downfalls as well. Even though it would seemingly cost less money, the headache in communication would weigh out the same. In a regular office, everyone is right there in the same building. Meetings held in person are more engaging and easier to understand. Even though there are many programs to help aid with communications between co-workers, it still cannot beat the old fashioned office setting. Perhaps in the future, any problems with going 100% virtual will become seamless and efficient, as we have made a physical office.
Virtual offices are no longer a thing of the future, they are a thing of the present. More and more companies drop locatable headquarters and become only communicable through the internet. As this transition takes place, the growth of new programs and technologies to help aid those corporations will also. Programs will be created that solve the most common problems and will assist employers and all types of managers with communications and other defects that come with being virtual. Eventually, every type of business will follow into the trend. With help from the memories, and hearsay of the elders, generations to come will have only knowledge of the day one could walk into a store and make a purchase. However, if all businesses were to become virtual, they would never experience this themselves.

References
Boitnott, J. (2015) How to take the sting out of switching to a virtual office. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/john-boitnott/how-to-take-the-sting-out-of-switching-to-a-virtual-office.html
Colleen, K. (May 15, 2015). Why some employers are ditching the office -- literally. Retrieved June 6, 2015 from Fortune.com: http://fortune.com/2015/05/15/office-less-virtual-companies/
Davenport, T. & Pearlson, K. Two cheers for the virtual office. Sloan Management Review v. 39 no. 4 (November 1998) para. 18. Retrieved June 14, 2015 from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/eds/detail/detail?sid=abbb7c31-d4e4-425e-9685-f3f83b3df719%40sessionmgr4005&vid=4&hid=4203&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=bth&AN=887816
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2010, November 15). Study: Teleworkers more satisfied than office-based employees. Retrieved June 15, 2015, from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/uow--stm111510.php