Companies foresee staff working in virtual office

Survey says nearly 60% of companies see themselves reducing office space in the future.

CHANTELLE BENJAMIN/ BusinessDay.com

Published: 2011/05/20 06:54:45 AM

A GLOBAL survey, released yesterday, that looks at measuring mobility trends in the workspace has found that nearly 60% of companies see themselves reducing office space in the future, making use of mobile facilities to keep contact with staff.

Much has been written about virtual offices in the past few decades, but the rush to telecommuting or working from home has not materialised to the extent predicted. Only 1,6% of those working for large employers work from home, and 63,5% still commute four or five days a week, according to Regis, provider of flexible workplaces and Unwired Ventures, which studies trends in the workplace.

However, the study by these two companies found 12% of people working in large corporations would like to work from home and 71% of executives interviewed believe the next generation of workers — those still at school — will embrace virtual working and 62,5% of companies have already implemented new ways of working.

Unwired CEO Philip Ross said companies will need to look at new measures for calculating cost that move away "from rent and rates in a per square foot fixed world".

Executive vice-president of Regis Bob Gaudreau said companies might have to consider more flexible work models such as allowing employees to buy their own office space.

The survey of 600 executives globally found that 58,2% predicted a decrease in the need for office space as a result of, among other things, improved technology .

At least 51% believed the office space would become a place for occasional use, with only 7% predicting an increase in office space would be required.

Mr Ross said considering that "utilisation of office space is typically only 45%, empty desks no longer make sense in a world were agility and mobility will become accepted by people as the most acceptable and sustainable way of working".

The research found that 79% of respondents believed they now have the right technology to be productive in the workplace and are increasingly being given technology they need to work from any location, while 51% said that they have everything they need.

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