The Covid pandemic has forced all of us as business owners to think flexibly and find smart solutions to keep ourselves afloat. Adaptation is the name of the game. Like the founder of Golden Square Offices- Balaji Pasumarthy, says, ‘It’s time to survive, sustain and succeed”. When you’re in survival mode, it’s all about cutting costs wherever you can.

One of the largest expenses a business owner has is their office space. In light of the ongoing pandemic however, the very role and nature of the modern office is coming into question. Under the government mandated lockdown, every single business owner and their teams have been forced to adapt to working from home. However, the question must be asked- is this a viable office alternative? Is there a better way to keep my business operational?

While the change in work environment was manageable for the most part, it has been a mixed bag. For many, working from home may even seem convenient. It is still possible to collaborate and communicate effectively with team members through numerous applications and tech. Working from home also cuts down on the harrowing commute times one is familiar with in Bangalore.

However, it soon becomes clear that working from home is clearly not a sustainable long term solution. While there are advantages to the arrangement, numerous issues and obstacles have presented themselves soon enough.

The first of which is a reliance on technology. The ability to work from home is made possible only through applications like Zoom, Skype and G Suite. In short, we are entirely dependent on the internet. Unfortunately for most us, poor connectivity issues plague our meetings and conference calls. With the entire household utilizing the WiFi throughout the day, it’s no surprise that we have all experienced our networks dropping. At the same time, Bangalore summers are always accompanied by power cuts and load shedding. Not every house is equipped with a generator or UPS and these cuts can sometimes last upto 8 hours.

There are also a host of disturbances you may face as you work from home. Be it traffic, construction and noisy neighbors, your home may not be the most quiet environment for focussed work. The home environment itself can be very distracting while the rest of the family is also at home. It could be a conversation taking place in another room, the sound of the tv or microwave running, or even your kids running in to play.

Working from home can also have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. You may find it more difficult to separate your work life from your home life and the stresses of the pandemic can aggravate this issue. Studies have also shown that people working from home have reported back aches and joint pains due to bad posture. This is a result of people using laptops on desks that are higher/shorter than their office desks or neglecting to use a desk altogether, and instead working from a couch or bed.

All the while, you are probably still paying rent on an office that is being left unused. So what’s the solution? How do we save on office costs while also avoiding safety risks?

The answer lies in Remote Working- the best of both worlds. As the past couple of months have proven, it is entirely possible to keep your business operational with a remote, decentralized team. In fact it is both cost effective and has the potential to be highly efficient. The real issue is the unproductive work environment, that being your home.

Remote Working suggests downsizing the office and decentralizing your team. Engage the services of Serviced Private Offices and Business Centres to provide practical workspaces for your team members near their homes. This ensures the safety of the team while also providing them with the necessary technology and infrastructure to remain productive. Serviced Private offices are designed for privacy, which not only enables focussed work but also facilitates social distancing. Fully furnished, these are offices designed to plug and play, so no time is wasted in setting up. Serviced offices also implies back office support and secretarial services that allow for smooth coordination between team members across different branches of the business centre.

Best of all? There are Serviced Private Offices out there that charge on a pay per use model i.e you can utilize these offices on an hourly/monthly basis.

It’s time to work smart and adapt to the developing situation. The flexible solutions are the ones that are bound to lead you to success.

We would love to help you if you are looking for flexi office space. Please do call me on 9845348828/ 9632988828 or on my email r.joseph@annveshan.com.