Stop thinking outside the box, start thinking outside the office!

By Dee Matheson

Recently I had the opportunity to pop into my ex employer’s office and found that although I had moved on into the virtual world of business, they were still very much encased in the old corporate humdrum life with very little work life balance and some very archaic practices. This set me to thinking, why are some companies not using the opportunities to work virtually? Why are they still stuck in a rut and don’t think outside the office?  Practically everyone in the working world has a Laptop, Desktop or Tablet. We don’t need to go into a brick and mortar office any more.

In my search, while pondering this question, I came across an article by John Meyer, the CEO of Arise Virtual Solutions and thought I’d share some of his findings which are a real eye opener for those old fashioned businesses that have not moved with the times of doing work virtually.

It’s been predicted that by 2016, just 3 years from now, 63 million Americas will be working virtually, that’s a sharp rise from the 2010 figures which were 34 million, according to Forrester Research. If that’s the case in America, can you just imagine what it will be worldwide in 2016? The mind boggles as to how this will impact the far-reaching economies worldwide as labour may become cheaper and accessible 24/7.

In order for private enterprises to keep up with the shift to virtual business and ramp up their efforts, they emulate other major companies that have already embraced and taken the lead in changing their working environment and model into the virtual workplace. As the global economic conditions are also hurtling to change, one of the quickest ways to cut costs is to reduce the size of your office and even eliminate it completely.

One of the advantages of a tough employment situation is that it’s inspiring more workers and their bosses to change the way they work. In the wake of a slowly recovering economy worldwide, many college graduates are already giving up on brick-and-mortar jobs and switching to a virtual work environment. Here are some reasons as to why a virtual workforce is not a pie in the sky idea, but already very much present:

·         The workforce has changed since the economic meltdown of 2008. The traditional model of work has become a lose-lose scenario for both employers, who are facing changing business needs, and employees, who may want to work non-traditional hours and don’t always live near their employer.

·         With virtual workers, companies are able to operate with zero unnecessary overheads, often saving up to 30%.

·         Increasingly, workers are marching to their own drum, based on their individual needs and desires. Virtual workers, including those who are their own business owners, are often more accountable, take on more responsibility and are more passionate about their work than brick and mortar worker, which enables them to achieve better performance.

Now for this to succeed, I believe the Chamber of Commerce and DTI should promote working virtually and boost and support virtual business owners.  Why don’t they channel some of the funds that are earmarked for small business development to the virtual industry? This might encourage larger companies to use the virtual business owner and might uplift the economy as more people will be generating an income and contributing back into the economy instead of waiting for hand outs from Government and charities.

A ‘one-size fits all’ strategy will not work in this case, each enterprise should consider creating their own personal approach towards going virtual.

People who scoff about working virtually remind me of those who laughed at Electronic Data Systems when Ross Perot started talking about outsourcing in 1962. Look where we are now and it’s only going to grow and become the norm within the next 5 – 10 years. As John Meyer says: “The virtualisation of business is like outsourcing on steroids: not only is it highly efficient, but it is probably the most advanced and evolved economic system yet devised”.

If you need more information on how to work virtually with a Virtual Assistant, please contact Dee Matheson on 082 925 7757 or email her on dmatheson@worldonline.co.za or visit her website on www.dfm-virtualassistant.co.za