More and more companies are moving towards shared and virtual office space, as the traditional 9-5 jobs become a thing of the past. Just like with every new venture though, there are pros and cons to making the switch from traditional offices to virtual office space. Here are a few things to consider before making the switch.
Cons of Shared & Virtual Office Space
 Let’s start with a few of the possible cons. It’s always a good idea to get an accurate picture of some of the potential negative aspects of a new venture before diving right in.
 No Centralized Location
With traditional office space everyone has one centralized location that they can use to collaborate and can easily separate their work and home life. With a virtual office everyone is often spread out in various places, which can lead to collaboration difficulties if you don’t know how to use the correct tools.
Shared Resources
This can be a con at the same time as well as a positive in many cases. Sharing resources with other companies or other employees is a great way to cut costs in shared office space. However, if there is something that everyone uses frequently it can lead to productivity problems if everyone is constantly waiting for the copy machine.
Lack of Control
Shared office space can sometimes be a pain if the office always tends to be to hot or too cold. The lack of control can be frustrating, especially if you enjoy listening to music or need a quiet environment to work.
Pros of Shared & Virtual Office Space
Thankfully the pros seem to outweigh a lot of the cons when it comes to virtual office space.
Savings
There is no doubt that virtual office space will save your company a lot of money. Expenses such as rent, utilities, full time office staff such as secretaries, internet, and tech costs are drastically reduced or eliminated with virtual office space.
No Commute Time
Virtual office space offers employees and business owners alike the opportunity to not have to waste time commuting to and from work every day. This allows workers to work when they feel the most productive whether that’s first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon or evening.
Motivation
Working in a shared office space environment allows you to be surrounded by many other people who are working and motivated every day. This motivation is infectious and can lend an air of competition, since you’re not all working for the same company, and it can pay off for everyone in the end.
There are pros and cons to every type of work environment but more and more companies are choosing to make the switch to shared and virtual offices. This allows their employees the option of either working from home or in a shared office space and can lead to increased productivity and lower costs. There are negative aspects as well that must be taken into account. However, if you take the time to be sure that this is the right move for your company you can be on your way to a successful switch that might just give your business the boost that it needs.
