Recent changes have made a lot of business owners seriously consider where they do their business. Perhaps your office has been closed for more of the year than they have been open, or perhaps they are getting so difficult to work in that it’s becoming an active distraction. If you’re thinking of physically getting rid of your office entirely, you wouldn’t be the first person to do it. However, if you’re taking your office to the digital world, you need to ensure that you do it with care. Here are a few tips on making that most radical of moves.
Saying goodbye to your office
You don’t necessarily have to sell your office. After all, you may at some point want to consider moving back so it’s best not to make any moves that are too permanent. However, if you are genuinely making a total and complete move to a digital setup for the business, then you really need to consider if you can continue to pay for a space that you are no longer using. You can instead look at coworking spaces or downsizing the office so you still have some business space to rely on but, otherwise, consider putting it up on the market or at least renting your office space to those who will use it.
Keeping your professional image
Unfortunately, it is a reality that a lot of people look to your working environment and where you are situated to get an idea of how prestigious and serious your business is. That, alongside privacy concerns, is one of the biggest reasons you don’t want people to think of you as a ‘home business’, even if you are working from home. Setting up virtual offices in prime locations helps you get a degree of separation between you and the company. It also helps add some continuity to the sense of professionalism that you have helped foster so far.
Making the paperless shift in your office
It’s not the case for everyone, but for most businesses who are relying on physical office space, most of your document storage is likely to be in paper form. Making the move to a paperless setup can be a lot more cost-effective and secure but, now that you’re making the digital switch, it’s crucial for keeping hold of critical documents.
Spend time scanning everything that doesn’t need to be thrown out and rely on Cloud storage spaces to hold whatever your colleagues and employees still need access to. You’re likely to have a few physical documents you can’t copy, but just make sure they’re stored in a safe place in your home instead.
Ensuring everyone has the tools that they need
Your employees might not be working on company tech anymore, but they’re still likely to need specialized work tools to get on with their job. You can’t force everyone to buy an Office license, so you instead need to look at ways of making that work tech a lot more accessible to them. Cloud software has become of the key solutions for just that, as of late. There are Software as a Service solutions for all manner of work tools, that allows your team to access their work from any device and any location, so long as they have the right credentials to gain entry to the software.
Understand how to set up a home office
Working from home was formerly a perk reserved for those fortunate enough to have a supportive company or to find a method to do it themselves. In contrast, the 2020 pandemic of COVID-19 has radically altered this.
It takes more than you might think to be able to work from home successfully, and that includes setting up a nice home office or work area. Set up a workspace that will help you to thrive by following these guidelines.
Know how to work from your office
If you have never done it before, then it’s entirely reasonable, and perhaps even likely that you have underestimated how much of a change it can be to work from home. There are a lot of new challenges, such as having to create a great working space in your own property, as well as creating a work-life balance so that the two sides can work in harmony.
You also need to look at the healthy habits you should keep up, such as ensuring that you take breaks from your screen, maintaining a good morning routine, and investing in ergonomic furniture are tips that you should not only take into account for yourself. You should also share them with your other workers and help them maintain a healthy working life.
There are significant advantages to moving your office to the digital world, but you have to prepare for the transition. You need the right resources in place for both your team and your customers, and some time and help to acclimate to it as well. Hopefully, the tips above can help you put those measures in place.
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