This can feel like a topic that’s been done to death in the post-pandemic world. It feels like every other day, you see a new article about why the general norm is shifting away/toward online working, and the only impression you’re left with is that everyone seems to feel their own way about it.
Still, this raises an important question when you’re in business yourself. What’s the right call? Businesses can have their own specific needs and rhythms, so to answer this question, you need to start asking yourself other questions about your brand.
The Permanence of the Decision
Of course, it’s worth iterating that this isn’t something that has to be decided now and forever. You might feel as though a remote structure better fits your staff situation and your budget for now, but this doesn’t mean that you’re never going to have any use for a physical working space. Similarly, an office right now might not be as valuable further down the line when your working model has shifted into something entirely different.
What can help is knowing how to make the shift gracefully. Figuring out what to do with all your office supplies can be difficult, leaving you with options like storage, downsizing, or selling them. In any case, knowing about online services that can offer trailer moving services might help you to get everything where it needs to go.
The Type of Work
While for some businesses it might be genuinely unclear what the best option is for them, others will know pretty immediately if they can’t work remotely. Businesses that require physical work might need premises like warehouses as opposed to an office, and this is also going to require the need for multiple tools and types of machinery. This doesn’t mean that there will be no remote working component for anyone, but it’s an example of how understanding your business can help you to select the right path ahead.
As an alternative example, if you feel as though your team can work remotely without any actual need for an office, it’s worth considering it as an option. The ability to work remotely is something that staff members can sometimes appreciate, and might help to draw people toward your business.
Early Days
As mentioned previously, one of the main reasons that you might opt for remote work early on could be because of financial restraints. Offices can cost a lot of money in terms of rent, maintenance, and the need to fill it with supplies. Comparing this to what you’d need to spend to run the same business remotely can help you to better picture which is realistic for you. This is especially true due to how some platforms that are commonplace for remote companies are free to use, such as video conferencing tools and cloud document software that can be useful for collaboration.
This is just to emphasize that even if an office isn’t realistic for you right now, it doesn’t mean that it never will be. Keeping this in mind can prevent you from getting too single-minded about having a workspace before you’re able to.