Bye bye offices?

[Peter Cooper]

Half question but also half "let's see what other small business people are thinking/doing"!

My company rents three small offices in an enterprise centre. Because the council refused to treat them as one hereditament we don't qualify for SBRR so we're basically paying £2000/mo rent + rates for glorified desk and bookcase storage For a month or two, that's fine, but I've been seeing some reports (e.g. in Telegraph today - can't link, sorry) that working from home if at all possible may continue to be strongly encouraged for "months/years".. so could be quite a while!

We're on a rolling month-to-month lease and we've adapted surprisingly well to working from home, so I'm thinking of just ditching the offices, stop paying rent and rates, and we could give employees £100 a month extra, say, towards the extra electricity/gas.

Has the lockdown sent me loopy or is anyone else thinking along these lines for the future? Am I missing any obvious downsides in this plan? I appreciate it wouldn't suit many types of business, but for those that are entirely office based, I could see this taking off once people realise how much running an office actually costs and how little we get for our rates (and if Tesco doesn't have to pay any, I'd rather not either, TBH).

 

[The Byre]

Running an office just so that you can see where people are is silly. I began paying people to work from home back in about 1990. Some had difficulties with that concept, for example, one girl asked at what time she should start working. I told her that it was up to her, as long as the work gets done!

"I need X, Y and Z to be done by Friday. If you can do all that on a Friday morning and you spend the rest of the week lying in bed scratching yourself, that's fine by me - though I doubt that you'll manage that somehow!" were my exact words.

We had an office, but if everybody had wanted to actually work there, we would have had to put desks up in the yard outside!

 

[Darren_Ssc]

I rent one small office and I find it pays for itself many times over. The amount of work I get done in a week compared to what I would do at home is beyond compare.

I have employed someone previously who wanted to work from home but it just didn't work out. There was always a disconnect and what I found most annoying was waiting a few hours for response to a simple question that would be instantaneous in a normal office setting.

 

[Bluejen84]

I first became self employed after a head injury left me too ill to work. I managed through previous contacts line myself up with work I could do from home. I also open am online store. I could worknthe hours I wanted. Of I was too sick then I didn't work. One company would generate work for me, I'd work in the evening and it was done for them by the time they opened the next day. It worked great for many years for me.

It's not for everyone. You have to be disciplined and routined but for jobs that only involve a computer and a phone etc why can't you do them at home?

I worked in a call centre for a bank but I essentially worked alone in a booth. If I needed help I phoned for help. Yes security is a question but I can't see it being different at home.

There is alot of potential here and I think we'll see it being offered alot more now companies have been forced to try.

 

[AstEver]

It is not only about cost efficiency as you trade of advantages of close proximity. There is a danger, or an opportunity for some, of ending up with outsourcing all activities rather than building the internal capability.
You will need to focus on the 'soft' side of management. Building a strong organisational culture may be challenging.

Wordpress has been successful in remote working. IBM has decided to get everyone back into the offices.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Its not black and white, work from home or work in the office, just like some people can work alone and turn out the same amount of work regardless of where they work

A gray alternative is people spend a couple of set days in the office and the rest at home. Instead of there own desks they have shared working area's , with the work from home designated on the last office day so they have the full office day to prepare any information they need to undertake the work load

 

[billybob99]

I told her that it was up to her, as long as the work gets done!

This.

 

[Alan]

I think the worst scenario is where people work in an office say 4 days a week and one day at home, especially Friday at home. The day at home often becomes an extra weekend day.

It does take discipline to be effective working from home, you need a routine and segregated space from the rest of the household and to establish household rules, e.g. when the door is closed means you can't come in to the study.

This discipline is best established by people working close to 100% at home.

With the right technology there is no reason that instant answers are not possible. For years working in offices we had these modern things called telephones, if someone was on another floor we used this magic devices to talk to them remotely. I think you can actually have these devices in your home too.

 

[fisicx]

My wife is now working from home along with everyone else in the London office. Productivity has increased as people can now work the hours they want without having to commute. The business is now considering making this permanent and renting a room on the odd occasion they need to be together.

Lots of others I know have also realised the cost of renting accommodation in London out weighs the benefits. Next year when people are allowed to mingle again I reckon will see a big difference in the way we work. Why commute with millions of others into cite centres when you can do the same job at home.

 

[Darren_Ssc]

With the right technology there is no reason that instant answers are not possible. For years working in offices we had these modern things called telephones, if someone was on another floor we used this magic devices to talk to them remotely. I think you can actually have these devices in your home too.

Phone calls can be annoyance though, especially if you've told Alexandra that you don't care what hours she works and she is busy having her garden tidied when you want to ask her something trivial.

 

[Alan]

Phone calls can be annoyance though, especially if you've told Alexandra that you don't care what hours she works and she is busy having her garden tidied when you want to ask her something trivial.

Absolutely, depends on the job and operating model.
If the job is receptionist / call taker / live customer support etc. then you can't tell Alexandra I don't care what hours you work.

If the job is contract procurement negotiation, then you can just set an objective.

 

[lesliedocherty]

My wife is now working from home along with everyone else in the London office. Productivity has increased as people can now work the hours they want without having to commute. The business is now considering making this permanent and renting a room on the odd occasion they need to be together.

Lots of others I know have also realised the cost of renting accommodation in London out weighs the benefits. Next year when people are allowed to mingle again I reckon will see a big difference in the way we work. Why commute with millions of others into cite centres when you can do the same job at home.

Which is why Softbank pulled out of buying the rest of 'WeWork', everything has changed for good now.

 

[lesliedocherty]

I think the worst scenario is where people work in an office say 4 days a week and one day at home, especially Friday at home. The day at home often becomes an extra weekend day.

I agree, the friday thing is a piece of nonsense

 

[Peter Cooper]

I've actually been considering buying/renting a café or something towards the tail end of this (there are a lot in my small town, and I suspect some will want to retire/get out of the business after this nightmare) and running it as a sort of drop-in office/club for local WFH businesses including ours who want an occasional getaway (make it non-public so it's self service, no baristas, etc.) As I say, though, maybe the lockdown is turning my brain to mush

 

[Paul Norman]

It does seem likely that working from home will become more normal. This virus has sped up that realisation, but it was probably happening anyway.

It is certainly worth considering whether moving back into each of our offices is the right business thing to do.

 

[Darren_Ssc]

I've actually been considering buying/renting a café or something towards the tail end of this (there are a lot in my small town, and I suspect some will want to retire/get out of the business after this nightmare) and running it as a sort of drop-in office/club for local WFH businesses including ours who want an occasional getaway (make it non-public so it's self service, no baristas, etc.) As I say, though, maybe the lockdown is turning my brain to mush

Keep your office and buy a coffee machine instead.

 

[Mr D]

I think the worst scenario is where people work in an office say 4 days a week and one day at home, especially Friday at home. The day at home often becomes an extra weekend day.

It does take discipline to be effective working from home, you need a routine and segregated space from the rest of the household and to establish household rules, e.g. when the door is closed means you can't come in to the study.

This discipline is best established by people working close to 100% at home.

With the right technology there is no reason that instant answers are not possible. For years working in offices we had these modern things called telephones, if someone was on another floor we used this magic devices to talk to them remotely. I think you can actually have these devices in your home too.

Agreed.
People find out you work from home and they think they can pop round or call you when they want.
Have had to put in place rules - if someone knocks the door and I'm not expecting anyone I'll get to a place I can pause before I go see who it was.
Often they have left by then.

Have avoided religious groups dozens of times that way.

If mobile rings during work time I'll glance at the number before ignoring or answering it.
Annoyed my boss once, his phone stopped working so he borrowed his wife's phone that day and half his staff ignored his calls all day.

 

[Mr D]

It does seem likely that working from home will become more normal. This virus has sped up that realisation, but it was probably happening anyway.

It is certainly worth considering whether moving back into each of our offices is the right business thing to do.

Some businesses its a good thing to have staff all together.
For many others there isn't an actual need for physical location to be together. Technology has moved on - if a call centre can have its staff operating from home to chase debts then why can another call centre not have the same working from home setup for processing claims?
Staff meetings? Conference calls. One to one meetings? Phone call.

 

[tony84]

I think you probably should look at keeping one of the offices, will everyone want to work from home? Obviously at the minute it is a requirement to some extent, but in the long run hearing kids in the background might not work.

I have a 2 year old and she is actually very good but there are times where I answer the phone she picks up my laptop knowing I cant tell her to get off it until I am off the phone - very annoying because she smiles at me whilst doing it.

I hate working from home. I sometimes go to the local pub for 3-4 hours and get more done in those hours than I do in a full day working from home.

 

[lesliedocherty]

I think you probably should look at keeping one of the offices, will everyone want to work from home? Obviously at the minute it is a requirement to some extent, but in the long run hearing kids in the background might not work.

I have a 2 year old and she is actually very good but there are times where I answer the phone she picks up my laptop knowing I cant tell her to get off it until I am off the phone - very annoying because she smiles at me whilst doing it.

I hate working from home. I sometimes go to the local pub for 3-4 hours and get more done in those hours than I do in a full day working from home.

I agree, i know a few people (more than 4) who asked to get furloughed as they cannot work effectively from home, some people are not suited to work under their own steam, some don't have the suitable workspace, some have partners, kids, dogs and too many distractions

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I've actually been considering buying/renting a café or something towards the tail end of this (there are a lot in my small town, and I suspect some will want to retire/get out of the business after this nightmare) and running it as a sort of drop-in office/club for local WFH businesses including ours who want an occasional getaway (make it non-public so it's self service, no baristas, etc.) As I say, though, maybe the lockdown is turning my brain to mush

That seems to work at present because only a few use it, but a pub or cafe need turnover to stay afloat and 5 or 10 people taking up a table each soon effect turnover . so if you accept that working out of the office is going to increase, the cafe idea may need revising

 

[CVRO]

Phone calls can be annoyance though, especially if you've told Alexandra that you don't care what hours she works and she is busy having her garden tidied when you want to ask her something trivial.

That's easy. Alexandra can carry a mobile... The flexibility of working the hours that she wants should come with the responsibility of being available when other people needs her.

 

[CVRO]

I've actually been considering buying/renting a café or something towards the tail end of this (there are a lot in my small town, and I suspect some will want to retire/get out of the business after this nightmare) and running it as a sort of drop-in office/club for local WFH businesses including ours who want an occasional getaway (make it non-public so it's self service, no baristas, etc.) As I say, though, maybe the lockdown is turning my brain to mush

The WFH strategy works when the person hss a home big enough to allow the person to carve out a suitable space.

So, if you solve the issue of a person buying one coffee and holding the table for hours, there may be enough of a niche in the right location.

 

[fisicx]

....and she is busy having her garden tidied when you want to ask her something trivial.

If it’s trivial it can wait.

I ignore calls, texts and emails until lunchtime. By then I’ve usually finished everything I need to do for the day so now have time to answer questions. Not saying this will work for everyone but WFH allows you to be productive in a way that suits you. I’m at my best early in the morning so a commute each day would be counter productive. A mate prefers to faff about in the morning then start work at 1pm exactly.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

a pub or cafe need turnover to stay afloat and 5 or 10 people taking up a table each soon effect turnover .

San Francisco is full of cafes with one person per table doing business for hours. I couldn't figure out how it works at all.

 

[Darren_Ssc]

If it’s trivial it can wait.

I agree, in general, but there's also the benefit of external feedback that you often miss by having too formal an attitude to communication.

 

[SillyBill]

I'd be surprised if a figure of -10% wasn't easily achievable in terms of total office floor space in the UK. That still means a huge number of us do need to be in an office most days to be effective but equally a very significant % should be allowed to work from home where possible. It is environmentally the right thing to do and will cut the commute time down for those that still need to. I am hoping that sort of number at least can be a target to work toward. I say that as someone who spends a lot of time on the roads, Friday on the roads is already one of the best days to get about...

 

[Nick Walsh Studios]

Remote working is booming and very, very cheap.

We pay £72 per month for hot desking at Tech Hub Swansea 8-5pm ( and 10 cups of coffee for free!) and £15 per month for same hot-desking and hours ( no pods or recording studios ) at The Gates Business Centre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW.

Tech Hub membership allows you to use their offices globally so if you need to use London hot desking you can.

 

[Bigyin362]

I've run my business from home for the past 15 years. If I had to pay for accomodation, I would have gone under by now.

 

[Mr D]

I've run my business from home for the past 15 years. If I had to pay for accomodation, I would have gone under by now.

Perhaps time to look at increasing profitability of the business?

 

[Millerd]

I agree, i know a few people (more than 4) who asked to get furloughed as they cannot work effectively from home, some people are not suited to work under their own steam, some don't have the suitable workspace, some have partners, kids, dogs and too many distractions

I think that this is the thin edge of the wedge and it will be a growing trend. There are already 1000's of businesses working completely remotely with staff from all around the world.
People will just have to learn how to work from home or from a convenient co-working space/pub/coffee shop - and if you can't manage your partner, kids, dogs and distractions then what can you manage?

 

[Mr D]

I think that this is the thin edge of the wedge and it will be a growing trend. There are already 1000's of businesses working completely remotely with staff from all around the world.
People will just have to learn how to work from home or from a convenient co-working space/pub/coffee shop - and if you can't manage your partner, kids, dogs and distractions then what can you manage?

Somehow people manage multiple distractions at work - they are different than the home distractions.
If anything can set things up to have a lot less distractions at home.

 

[fisicx]

...and if you can't manage your partner, kids, dogs and distractions then what can you manage?

I can manage to make tea, feed the chickens, check if we have any mislaid biscuits, look out the window, count the sparrows on the feeder. Loads of things. Occasionally I will wander back to my desk and do something productive.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

This forum is probably made up of people with a bit of go in them, not the people with little interest just doing a day to day job with no interest in the job or company they work for

A few more may well start working out of the office at home, but most will need the motivation to work and have to work in a office workplace type environment

 

[SimplyBook.me]

One thing that many people are forgetting, is that once we get back to some approximation of normal, even if we are under some restrictions for a while to come, schools and nurseries will reopen. The little (and not so little) distractions that many of us are trying to cope with at the moment will go back to the childcare spaces they were in before.
Another aspect of having an office space is that it is good to have a work community, even if it's only once a week when everyone gets together. It could easily become more common to share space on a rota basis. Companies have a space to call "theirs", but don't have to shoulder all the expense when most of the time their staff work from home. This wouldn't work with companies that keep sensitive documentation, but most security concerns could be mitigated.

 

[Mr D]

One thing that many people are forgetting, is that once we get back to some approximation of normal, even if we are under some restrictions for a while to come, schools and nurseries will reopen. The little (and not so little) distractions that many of us are trying to cope with at the moment will go back to the childcare spaces they were in before.
Another aspect of having an office space is that it is good to have a work community, even if it's only once a week when everyone gets together. It could easily become more common to share space on a rota basis. Companies have a space to call "theirs", but don't have to shoulder all the expense when most of the time their staff work from home. This wouldn't work with companies that keep sensitive documentation, but most security concerns could be mitigated.

Even sensitive documentation concerns can be alleviated. Locking cabinets, CCTV etc.

 

[Paul Carmen]

This is going to be industry dependant to an extent, as face to face meetings are better in some circumstances. I can't see everyone needing to go back into the office as before though, the video and work sharing technology is more than good enough now. With even call centres operating remotely now, many businesses do not need their employees in the office 5 days a week ever again!

Having worked for/with many large companies, the open plan office culture leads to lots of time wasted, messing around, plus for many middle managers generated a "lets have meetings culture", which wasn't always that focused, or a good use of time.

When I started my own company, we started by renting office space for a small team, we didn't use it all the time and quickly started working from home offices more. Expanding is more difficult and you need the tech in place to do it; e.g. decent broadband, collaboration software, conference call/video software.

We also started to use more freelancers and made sure that deadlines are in place and that they can be reached via Skype/phone. Many of these work for us or with us regularly now and we are on Teams. I think not being able to get hold of someone or resolve an issue quickly can usually be got around with tech, but you do have to have the right people.

We dropped the office rental completely at the COVID-19 outbreak and won't go back to it. We will probably use some shared/hot desk style office space when things return to some semblance of normal, but only for team or client meetings...

 

[Deleted member 59730]

A few years ago a friend working in a London office with all the commuting and other hassle started working from a small room above a shop in her local high street. Her PA lived nearby so also gained by not commuting. This was not a small business but a major consultancy doing multi million pound government contracts. Within a couple of years they had built a network of out of town offices using the untapped potential of upstairs rooms above high street shops.

 

[Airwolf1]

If working from home suits the company and things have worked out well in the lockdown, why not give up the offices? Or just lease 1 office and have a rota system for people going in? £100pm for people working from home is very generous btw. And if you just lease 1 office (or even 2 and they are next to each other so it could be merged together in the rating list) you could then qualify for SBRR.

 

[Stas Lawicki]

I wonder what the person who is working perched on their bed would answer to this? Or the person dealing with 1200 unread emails in their inbox? Or who feel completely isolated and demotivated from having little or no interaction with their colleagues or boss other than a grainy zoom call or dialogue in one of those 1200 emails?

The mental health at work challenge was already costing the UK economy around £250m a day. Imagine that cost now and in the future where we are pushing people further and further away. We've removed a great deal of humanity out of our workplaces already, removing the last vestiges of human interaction by choosing not to operate teams from a singular location and the problem will grow and grow.

For some, it's a revelation (where the novelty may or may not wear off). For others, it will be hell. And what will the managers and business owners do? Grade productivity and output without adequate consideration and deem workers useless or taking the pi55 because they don't know thier staff or circumstances well enough to factor in the suitability of wfh.

A smart new chair or laptop is also not going to solve many wfh conundrums.

I think a blanket policy of wfh to save office costs without the appropriate considerations and understanding of the consequences is shortsighted and ill-judged.

It's easy for those of us on here who wfh (I've gone it for 8 years now) but you've got to consider the impact on those who will only thrive in the conditions and environment an office will provide.