Workers in offices today have more options than ever before, and managers and employees alike have many options to choose from in terms of expense, location, Internet connectivity, and even the option to work remotely and not walk into the office at all. Coworking spaces should be a place of comfort, concentration, and efficiency, and good coworking spaces can also have a mix of workers who are physically present and those who choose to use virtual office solutions. What does the best virtual office look like, and what are the advantages of having some workers operate remotely? And in the office itself, what will the fully furnished office look like? Coworking spaces will need a number of factors working together so that employees can work their best.

Remote Work Today

Due to the rise of the Internet and related services such as data servers and Cloud storage, coworking spaces may be shared by a screen rather than work desk to desk. There are some demonstrated advantages to working remotely, and many tools exist to day to make this work smooth and easy. Remote work statistics show that companies of all sizes may report significant decreases in operating costs. American Express, to name just one example, reported that it saved $10 million to $15 million yer year due to the remote working options that it explored. Similar, two in three surveyed managers have said that having employees work remotely boosts their overall productivity, and Sun Microsystems determined that employees who work at home can use 60% of the time that would normally be spent on commuting on the work itself. Traffic jams, and all the time that they waste, are no issue when remote home work is done. There is increasing demand for this; around the world, over 50% of all people who telecommute part time said that they want to work even more hours remotely. And finally, on a similar note, 60% of remote workers in a survey said that if they could, they would leave their current job for a full-time, remote work position that offers the same pay. How can this be done?>

Remote work is possible mainly due to the Internet. A worker who is operating at home or working while on a business trip can get their work done on a computer, then submit their finished documents to their company’s secure Cloud data storage. For those unaware, Cloud data storage is an Internet-only means of submitting documents and files to a digital storage space where other authorized people may add or retrieve documents at will, a sort of online filing cabinet. Companies that have many remote employees will almost certainly make use of Cloud services, and IT crews can make sure that the Cloud account is private so that corporate espionage or other cyber-crime will not take place. What is more, an office can scan its paper documents and upload them to data servers or Cloud storage, allowing anyone to remotely access those documents, from at-home employees to the managers.

For the coworking spaces where workers actually are physically present, some measures can be taken to ensure that everyone is working well. Often, unclean surfaces like computer keyboards or door handles can spread colds or the flu, so sanitation is essential to preventing too many sick days, and good air conditioning and housekeeping services can also lower rates of airborne disease, particles, and other contaminants that cause sick days. Coworking spaces may be a noisy place, however, and noise pollution can be a real issue here. Anything from phone calls to gossip and idle chatter to the noise of traffic outside or the sounds of copy machines can be distracting and boost rates of stress and work errors. For this reason, effective coworking spaces may involve one or more soundproof phone booths. In this way, a worker can easily carry out phone conversations with customers and business partners, free of distractions. A worker who cannot hear their customers due to noise pollution may end up providing poor customer service, and this can make a company lose customers fast. A soundproof phone booth lowers stress levels, reduces rates of work errors, and makes customer service easy and efficient to do in any office.