In the past, the importance of an office was paramount even if it meant having a kiosk where you can put a table and chair with a standing fan, that can accommodate at least 2 people at a time is very important. At least you could have meetings, meet with coworkers, and ensure all works are assigned and done.
However do we really need corporate offices today? New technologies allow us to “connect to work,” meaning that all we need to get work done is an internet connection. With an internet connection, you can stay at the comfort of your house or on the go and access every information needed for a business transaction and connect with people. These days, employees are working from co-working spots, cafes, and home offices all over the world without ever having to step foot into a corporate office.
Here are some Reasons why you don’t need an office;
IMPROVED TECHNOLOGIES:
Technologies have seriously evolved, and there have been several improved technologies which allow us to connect to the world from our home directly without having to spend hours on the road or in the air. Improved technologies are allowing employees to carry out work, the only thing we need to get our job done is an internet connection. With the aid of an internet connection we can access all the people and information we need to get our job done. We can have virtual meetings, create assets (documents, presentation, or anything else), get updates from our team, and stay connected with the global workforce without seeing them in person on a daily basis. Our mobile phones allow us to access information while on the go.
TRAFFIC:
Traffic in most parts of the country is terrible especially Lagos. We may be wondering how to scale the traffic every morning in other to get to our office. Spending hours on the road in other to get to our office can be so exhausting. Why waste all that time when we can achieve this from the comfort of our homes.
21st CENTURY WORKERS:
There have been so many changes in technology and so many platforms have been created to connect people together. Moreover the introduction of ICT courses in schools has also helped in training people and making them understand the importance of technology. Thus, they are now so used to getting things done on the internet easily, they no longer need to drive hours to shop from a mall, which can be done directly from their bed space via online shopping. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google and many more convey messages to people in an instant click. The 21st century workers do not understand what it means to attend to handwritten posted letters.
Organizations need to adapt to this 21st century worker by reviewing their traditional preferences for office spaces.
COST:
An office space which is comfortable and where you can carry out all kinds of activity requires huge capital to set up. The cost of getting an office, buying office equipment, internet, maintenance, amenities and host of other things. Depending on the type of office, the cost of setting an office can be exorbitant.
PRODUCTIVITY:
There are numerous research reports which cite the fact that employees who work from home are actually more productive than those who work from an office. Although most of such research is focused on the global top economies but its findings are very applicable to Nigeria too. Global Workplace Analytics has perhaps the most comprehensive set of data around this with numbers ranging from 600 billion dollars which are wasted each year on workplace distractions to figures showing that national productivity would increase by $334 billion to $467 billion a year through telecommuting.
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IT SAVES TIME:
Can you imagine spending 15-25 hours in your car each week just driving? That’s almost a part-time job in your car spent on driving in heavy traffic and or over long distances. You can play around with various scenarios here to figure out how much money is being wasted each year on commuting but the number can easily reach the billions especially when considering other costs such as fuel.
So many people may think working from an office is best due to unwarranted distractions, however many also argue that offices are great for fostering communication and collaboration and some offices are very well furnished with fantastic amenities. However, the reality is that even a small distance impacts employee communication and collaboration. Once employees are 200 feet away (or more) from each other, the chances of them talking to one another are virtually zero; you might as well have employees be hundreds of miles away. The point here isn’t to say that face-to-face communication is dead but the ubiquity of various text and video platforms such as email, facebook, skype and whatsapp have significantly reduced the need for face to face communication.
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