Disadvantages/ Cons of Virtual Office

The term “virtual office” is gaining popularity all around the world nowadays. It is a setup that provides businesses with services related to the office and also a physical location but excludes all the expenses which are not directly related to the production of goods and services such as a long lease. A virtual office works in such a way that it uses the location to collect the mails for the business owners and the same location can be utilized as an official presence of the company.  It does have many advantages for startups and small businesses such as no bloating rents, good work/life balance, etc. In contrast, various prominent disadvantages also lie with utilizing the facility of a virtual office which are being discussed here.

Absence of Centralization

If an entrepreneur is working alone then it does not cause much trouble. However, the addition of more employees and contractors might cause challenges. In a virtual office, there is a single place that has to be utilized by all the employees for working and meeting. This absence of centralization can cause difficulties for carrying out business activities in a single place. Moreover, some workers do not prefer the absence of a structure. If deemed necessary, the virtual office does provide the option of structuring, but a greater initiative is required.

Tough Communication

The concept of the global village used for Earth is indeed right. People have tremendous ways of communication than ever. Platforms such as teleconferencing, email, texting social media, etc. offer the best services of communication. This technology makes the functioning of a virtual office a lot simpler, however, the communication among colleagues and with clients can sometimes be challenging too. The chance of misinterpreting the information or simply miscommunication becomes higher where the services lack telephonic conversations and meetings that are face-to-face. The absence of non-verbal cues might create confusion such as a spelling error or wrong use of words can offend the clients. In addition, the voice tone that tells the listener what the speaker is emphasizing that would otherwise make the conversation so much easier, also lacks in a virtual office.

Reduction in Productivity

Distractions are inevitable in a virtual office. Even a person who is most disciplined might stick himself to the idea that he has all the time in the world. Workers spend some days doing nothing at all and get off track. If a person is a night owl he needs to take short breaks but being a fool to take all the time off and not complete the job tasks would be a bad idea. Employees must make sure that they take rest for a while but not let the rest get in the way of the job tasks.

Technical Issues

Many unforeseen technical issues can arise in a virtual office system. Entrepreneurs and workers under them rely solely on the technology they are using for carrying out routine business activities. Since they work remotely, they are dependent on their technology and any issue relating to it can delay the work. Sometimes, businesses using a virtual office face decrease in productivity due to prolonged and unresolved technical issues.

Accountability Difficulties

For the managers in a virtual office, it becomes challenging to oversee or supervise the team under them. There may arise a situation when one of their employees claims that bad internet condition in his/her house is the reason for the incompletion of the task or a technical issue is the cause of delay. No one knows whether they are saying the truth or just making an excuse and there does not exist a real way of accountability in a virtual office.

Loneliness and No Social Interaction

Entrepreneurs and employees who are extroverts rely a lot on social interactions to keep themselves active and to perform better. Human interactions are not promoted in the environment of a virtual office as people work remotely. In a traditional office, people meet at cafeterias over a tea or lunch break and socialize which helps them to alleviate their stress and workload. Conversely, in a virtual office, no such activity takes place which leads to making the employees lonelier, and also, they receive lower ratings on performance by their overseer. They feel left out and less committed to the accomplishment of their business goals.

Conclusion

To conclude, People desire a change but the change is not always the one desired or easy. If someone wants some change in their business and on the table, they see the option of a virtual business, then to make a sound decision they must consult the best information. From lack of centralization, communication gap, drop in productivity, technology issues, weak accountability to the workers feeling left out of the social circle are all the cons of a virtual office that need to be addressed before deciding on shifting the business towards the virtual system.