Now, Virtual Office

Working with an Office that Doesn’t Exist
Rosy days are ahead for workers who hate commuting to attend their offices, as virtual office concept is fast gaining ground. Mobile technologies including smartphones, wireless Internet networks, videoconferencing, and remote access software solutions are helping companies and individuals adopt teleworking models.

Technology researcher Gartner estimates that during 2008, 41.4 million corporate employees globally will spend at least one day a week teleworking. Although virtual offices vary in format, says Gartner, the most typical kind of teleworking involves an individual who works from home at least one day a week and has work space available at a corporate office for the remaining days.

It’s believed that teleworking (or telecommuting) is good for employees, as it relieves them from stress of battling with road traffic swarms. Estimates suggest that in a crowded city like Mumbai in India, a worker spends an average 3 to 4 hours daily in trains that are packed cheek by jowl with commuters. After traveling in such deplorable conditions, people get so tired when they reach office that their productivity gets terribly affected.

Though teleworking helps companies reduce burden on physical office infrastructure, most corporates have been resisting this form of employment because they’re generally not able to empirically measure remote workers’ output. And the main performance-measurement criterion is people’s attendance in the office.

But things seem to be changing. Now special interest groups that promote teleworking are getting aggressive. With over 7,000 people and organizations as its members, the Telework Association, for example, claims to be Europe’s largest organization, promoting teleworking. Formed in 1997, the Canadian Telework Association (CTA) claims to have over 1,000 members including individuals, corporate bodies, academics, and governments.

Barring a few job areas where workers’ physical presence is required, telecommuting can be used for a number of services particularly in the knowledge industries.

So let’s be ready to welcome the new e-worker.