Why a satellite office is the best of both worlds
Working from home or working from the office. Which is better?
Many office workers say they’d rather work from home. Yet the very idea makes some bosses nervous. After all, if an employee can work in her pajamas and take breaks anytime she wants, how productive is she really going to be?
Pros and cons to both approaches
When working from home, employees operate on their own timelines, making them more effective. They don’t waste time commuting. They aren’t distracted by gossip or office politics. They can take care of their homes and their families, making them generally happier.
However, bosses can’t monitor employees as closely, employees may be distracted by children, pets or household chores, and collaboration requires technology and is less spontaneous.
In general, studies show that a home office is the best environment for tasks that require prolonged focus.
Employees working from the office operate within a more traditional structure that is easy for bosses to monitor. They can engage in spontaneous collaboration. They come to work and go home on the same timeline as everyone else in the office.
But office employees are easily distracted by their peers, can face long, frustrating commutes, and struggle to feel any sense of privacy, making them less happy with their jobs.
Overall, the office is the best place to collaborate and connect with coworkers.
Ultimately, there’s probably no one-size-fits-all solution. It comes down to the kind of work employees are doing, where they’re most comfortable working, and what your budget can support. This post from JLL suggests that a balance of the two might be the most effective approach.
While the debate between working from home and in-office work rages on, everyone seems to have missed a key point: Those aren’t the only two options.
There is in fact a third choice that might just be a win-win for everyone involved. Instead of working from the office or working from home, employees can work remotely outside the home.
Why let employees work remotely outside the home
Let’s say your main office is in Richmond, Virginia. You find some talented potential employees in the Virginia Beach area, about an hour and 40 min away. If you want to hire these people you’ll have to either entice them to relocate or allow them to work from home.
Or take the third option and set up a satellite office in Virginia Beach.
Obviously, renting a commercial office space for two or three employees might be cost prohibitive. That’s were executive suites like College Park Executive Suites come in. You can rent a single large office or a collection of small offices to give your employees a space to work that is close to home without actually being inside their houses.
This approach offers distinct advantages over the other two choices. Employees can directly interact with their peers at the satellite office, which is helpful for collaborative tasks. They aren’t distracted by the children, dogs, and household chores, but with only a handful of coworkers, there’s less chance that they’ll be distracted by office politics or gossip either. They can form strong connections with their satellite office coworkers and yet they don’t have to drive long distances to get to work.
Setting up a satellite office is easy and much more cost effective than you might think. Contact Jackie to get started today.
