Virtual Office or Home Office?
After many people have had to juggle homeschooling with working from home during recent months, the office seems like a distant memory. Working from home does have lots of perks: the flexibility to choose your working hours, no commute, and the choice to wear whatever clothes you fancy (from the waist down anyway!). On the other hand, there are also lots of distractions too – putting that load of washing on, mowing the lawn when the sun comes out, and anything else you can think of really!
There are also some limitations of a home office, the main one being that you won’t be able to hold client meetings from your living room. Well you could, but it doesn’t exactly give the right impression! It is also worth thinking about whether you are your most productive self when working from home. Are you able to find the peace and quiet that you really need in order to concentrate?
Virtual Office Solution
A virtual office is a great stepping stone between a home office and a physical space. It can provide a solution to some of the issues that we have mentioned above. A virtual office offers private spaces for meetings, or even just somewhere to get your head focused for a few hours. Running your own business is an amazing thing, and there will be some days where working from home will suit you better. Then on other days when you just need a change of scenery, you can visit the virtual office instead.
Another huge benefit of having a virtual office is the virtual business address you also get. No more waiting in for important packages, or losing that really important invoice from your accountant. A virtual office provides a secure location for parcel and postal deliveries, and many facilities also provide you with a virtual mailbox so you can manage your mail from anywhere in the world.
Work-Life Balance
Something that has been spoken about a lot during the past year of lockdown is how to maintain a work-life balance whilst working remotely. For those who have been running their businesses from home for years, it was a fairly smooth transition – nothing really changed! However, some people have really struggled with the reduction in human interaction, and with little else to do for entertainment, work has taken over in many cases.
Having a home office means that you are always at work. Even if you have a separate room which is your dedicated ‘office’ area, it can be tempting to pop in and out when you have a work-related thought that you need to jot down. Creating boundaries is really important to ensure you have a healthy balance of work and life. A virtual office gives you a good excuse to actually leave your house and use the meeting rooms that are available.
Combine The Two
There is nothing to say that you can’t have the best of both worlds – a virtual office and a home office too. A virtual office can provide you with a place to collaborate with other like-minded individuals, and also give a great first impression when meeting clients. You can then work from home on the days where you need to be around for your children, or a furniture delivery, or even just because the sun is out and you want to work from your garden.
Another benefit of having a virtual office is that you can keep your business and your personal mail separate. If you are someone who struggles to find the time to answer phone calls, you could choose a virtual office package that includes receptionist services. This means that rather than your important clients having to listen to your voicemail, their call is answered by a professional human. They can either take a message or let your client know when to expect a call back from you.
As you can see, there are lots of different advantages and disadvantages of working from home or having a virtual office. At the end of the day it is a personal choice, and you have to do what works for you and your business. If you would like any further information on the virtual office packages that we provide here at Venture Offices, please contact us.
