People could argue that the traditional office is becoming obsolete. And it’s an argument that could be backed up with current facts.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 2024 saw an increase in the number of employed people working from home (almost half). Of that amount, 86% has been directly due to the pandemic.
But are those figures sounding the death knell for working from a company office? Or are we simply forgetting the main benefits of continuing your business in an office environment?
Before we casually cast aside the office environment, it is worth taking a look at the many benefits operating a company office can have for your company and its brand.
Easier Management
It is easier to manage your business, your employees, and therefore your time when you are all together in the same building.
This factor alone makes the use of an office environment vitally important. The complex workings of a business are performed much more smoothly when all the working parts are in close proximity to each other.
Yes, we have developed ways of working through the pandemic, and we have put processes in place to ensure the running of certain businesses. But those processes have been flawed or less effective. The loss of office environment leads to a loss of cohesion as little things that happen throughout a working day, like passing a colleague and remembering something they needed to know, or getting a quick knowledge fill from the person nearest you, cannot be accounted for.
Better Tools
Working from an office space means you have access to all the necessary things required for your business. Be that something physical like a piece of equipment or hardware, or the right person with the right skills for a particular job you want to be done.
In addition to your office space naturally having easy access to the appropriate equipment and skill sets, the reverse is also true. Not having that space and convenient access to skills and equipment are some of the biggest drawbacks of working from home.
An office-based business provides access to the best tools, resources, and people, and it operates much smoother and more efficiently than can be replicated at home.
Better Brand/Business Awareness
Creating a brand is an important part of running a business. You want your brand name to be synonymous with quality and expertise. A mark of excellence. It needs to speak to your potential customers. Sometimes, it takes the help of a professional digital marketing company to achieve that.
“The right branding can make or break you,” said Kent SEO and digital marketing specialist Darren. When you have the right brand and employ it correctly, both to your customers and your employees, you are onto a winning formula.”
Having that strong brand requires a strong company ethos, which requires a lot of unity and cohesion within the business. To have a great brand, you need great business awareness to permeate each level of employment within the business.
A great office or brand is like a great football team. Everyone behind it, from management to players and fans, knows exactly who or what it stands for. Your business is no different.
Maintaining a strong companywide brand identity can be difficult if all your employees are scattered to the winds. When everyone works from the same building, it is easier to have the same attitude toward what the business represents.
Experience
Running your business from a contained office means you have access to a wealth of valuable experience. Work in any job, and you will always find tricks of the trade not to be found in a training manual. Some processes and solutions have to be lived to be learned.
A frozen computer could have you looking at manuals trying to work out the problem when at home, whereas at work, John in IT could’ve solved your problem in 2 seconds by telling you to turn your computer off and on.
Working with other people also provides plenty of life experience. Interacting with colleagues and strangers on a daily basis helps you develop better behavioural and interpersonal skills. You learn to be respectful, how to act professionally, and what behaviors are acceptable in the working world.
You gain experience through your own endeavours and the experience of others. Something which is sorely lacking in the working from home environment.
Teamwork
The benefits of teamwork are many. From boosting productivity to encouraging creativity and innovation having a great team who works well in the workplace can only be a great thing for your business.
Effective teamwork not only ensures that your employees have an efficient support network but can also result in increased company morale, as no one person ever feels more burdened than the rest. If such a situation did arise, it could be quickly rectified, as the person could raise their issue and get it dealt with promptly.
A well-structured sense of teamwork, which creates an environment where the people work in cohesive unity, is a goal of any business. But it is a goal that requires and works best with, and office-based business.
While working from home has been on the increase since 2024, it is still not the most suitable solution for many businesses. There are still many benefits of continuing to run your business in an office environment, benefits that have yet to be replicated in the home working environment, and benefits that are, and always will be, important to the running of a successful business.
Thankfully, we may not have reached the end of working from such spaces just yet due to the importance of working from an office space. There are still many business benefits to be had through the office environment.
