Increasingly sophisticated mobile devices and faster Internet connection speeds have allowed employees to remain productive while on the go. These developments have also led to the rise of virtual offices. Andrew McAfee discusses this shift in an article in TechnologyReview.com.
The idea that the office is a specific place where our professional lives happen is becoming less universal, and less important. These days many knowledge workers can be productive anywhere, thanks to smarter, more numerous mobile devices, faster network access, and a growing number of online collaboration tools. Telecommuting is no longer merely something that the phone company is trying to sell you. And wherever the office may be, wider and better use of social networks, data analytics, and smart technologies such as voice recognition could be poised to increase productivity dramatically—meaning that both real and virtual offices may have fewer people in them.
A well-appointed virtual office space in Maryland allows users to set up an interim workplace and carry out tasks seamlessly as if they were physically present at their original offices. In other words, output should remain satisfactory no matter where employees may be working from. While company owners are more than happy to enjoy the economic benefits of occupying virtual offices, they can't help but worry about decreased productivity levels when they allow their employees to work from out-of-office locations.
Fortunately, there are ways to ensure that productivity doesn't take a hit even when work activities take place outside the main office. For one, a company can put together a virtual staff composed of highly qualified employees. Likewise, a company must instill in its employees the importance of engaging in constant communication so that employees can keep tabs on each other’s progress through e-mail, instant messaging, video conferencing, voice mail, and others.
With technological innovations doing away with many of the physical limitations that have plagued companies in the past, it is only fitting that businesses take advantage of what the latest conveniences—such as virtual offices, for instance—have to offer. Providers like Metro Offices offer Arlington, VA virtual office space solutions such as high-speed internet access, call handling, and well-equipped meeting rooms among other things that allow companies to accommodate high-profile clients at convenient and prestigious locations.
(Article Excerpt and Image from The Rise of the Virtual Office, Technologyreview.com)
