Working from home has become a recent trend among businesses of varying size and industry. The economic down-turn that our nation is currently facing has spurred many businesses to cut costs anywhere possible, including office space. Pair the necessity of saving money with an increased cultural trend toward spending more time with family and on personal activities, and the work at home concept has skyrocketed. But, the question remains; does working at home really work?
According to a recent survey in the Boston Business Journal, when asked, “Do you goof off when you telecommute in nice weather?” less than half of respondents said they work 100{b7ad85a4b69bcdc6d2a1761d785d8b301857dc9ffea60b5a6c87077e9295409b} of the time they are supposed to be working, and another 35{b7ad85a4b69bcdc6d2a1761d785d8b301857dc9ffea60b5a6c87077e9295409b} said they only work 75{b7ad85a4b69bcdc6d2a1761d785d8b301857dc9ffea60b5a6c87077e9295409b} of the time they are supposed to be working. How can companies provide employees with a productive work environment while keeping costs low?
Many companies are turning to shared office centers. Shared office centers can provide office space in a productive business environment that gets employees out of their home, but only a short distance away. Commute times are decreased and productivity is increased, since there are no distractions such as laundry, television and children. Such office centers offer the use of photocopiers, fax machines, conference rooms, video conferencing and even a complimentary coffee station, providing users with just about everything they could possibly need right at their fingertips. Also, since many centers offers 24 hour access, employees can maintain a more flexible schedule.
A professional office center gives employees from a variety of companies all of the amenities of a large a corporate office, with the autonomy of working from a home office. It also adds a sense of business community to combat the loneliness that is often experience by individuals who work from home. This professional community, comprised of individuals from an array of industries, can act as a great sounding board for new ideas and as a pool of professional resources. This combination of employee independence combined with minimal commute times, amenities and a social atmosphere creates the perfect mix happy employees, and in turn, more productive employees.