Topic: Virtual Workplace

Narrowed Topic: The Virtual Workplace and its implications for the future of “traditional

centralized offices” in United States.

Haid (n.d) asserted that "while possibilities of working outside of traditional

centralized offices have been around at least since the advent of the post office, dizzying

innovations in technology are making working virtually a new opportunity and a new

reality"1(pp.1). This suggests that as technological devices become more advanced, it has

created an opening for individuals who are now eager to experience this change and the

benefits that come with it .In fact ,more and more companies have experienced increases

in efficiency through reduced overhead costs that would have otherwise been incurred in

establishing a physical workplace. It substantiates the claim that considering a virtual

working environment has its advantages. However, it has some limitations. The

implications of such a move have given rise to issues on the lack of camaraderie, a

decrease in overhead costs and an increase in productivity.

First of all, it is through the medium of internet connectivity and the advancement

of technology that the subject of physical distance has become a thing of the past.

Crandall & Wallace (1998) portrayed a Virtual workplace to that of a “world in which

networks of people work in new ways, assisted by technology and freed from traditional

limitations of time and space” 2(pp.2). Modifying your current workplace in to one such

as this may cause a decrease in overhead cost to the company. Reber (2015) suggest that

1 Haid, M. (2010). The Workplace Revolution: Six Steps to Build a Successful Virtual Workforce2 Crandall, N & Wallace, M (1998). Work & rewards in the virtual workplace. New York: AMACOM

there is a drop in the costs of maintaining office space3 as well as in charges that would

have been accumulated due to the purchasing and repairing of equipment needed for the

day to day operations of the company. There is also a reduction in the need for parking

space and the firm is able to pick and choose from a pool of talented people. As a result

of this, the company is able to save more money to provide employment opportunities

and to spend on other expenses. As the virtual workplace becomes a fast reality,

companies such as Amazon, American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T,) Apple Inc.,

Hewlett Packard (HP) and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) have

joined the lines of other companies that have made the transition to virtual where their

employees are given the option to work as a team without being constrained to a physical

structure while using this as a means to encourage workers to be more productive.

Therefore, work is done more efficiently and in the most cost-effective way thus an

increase in productivity. However, there are concerns to the issue of breaches to

company client confidentiality, the possibility of the server being hacked and network

problems as work and projects are uploaded to a computer server or cloud without having

to ‘come in’ to submit it .

Secondly, Townsend, DeMarie and Hendrickson (1998) emphasized that “One of

the benefits of the virtual team environment is its ability to efficiently connect people and

enable greater levels of productivity” 4(p.27-28). With that being said, a company is able

to see a sizeable increase in their revenue if a boost in productivity occurs. This is due to

the fact that the virtual workplace allows fewer distractions and less commuting time as

‘work’ is wherever you deem as a comfortable work environment. It gives you the ability

3 Reber, M. (2015). Working Virtually; The 21st Century Workplace.4 Townsend, A, DeMarie, S & Hendrickson, A (1998). Virtual teams: Technology and the workplace of the future.

to work beyond normal work hours, improve quality of your work output and improves

ones confidence in their ability so that you are now able to voice your opinions or give

suggestions on a project you’ve been assigned. While providing even more flexibility to

work based on your own initiative; develop employee morale and a sense of satisfaction

in one’s job. On the other hand, workers may be faced with the matter of proper time

management skills if they are not focused and health issues as they are prone to develop

vision problems as they are required to conduct all communications and interacts via a

computer screen.

And finally, Camaraderie is one of those key components of a successful business

which encourages teamwork and group decision-making while re- enforcing mutual trust

within the workforce. On the other hand, with the emergence of the virtual workplace,

there is a rise in the number of issues on the lack of camaraderie5. This is due to the fact,

that employees are no longer restricted to their offices but are given the option to choose

their own work environment i.e. at home or at a Wi-Fi hotspot in the city and means of

communication via email, Skype, Google hangout and/or social media such as Facebook

without the distraction within the workplace. In other words, companies will be able to

become more diverse in culture as they are now capable to increase their workforce by

hiring outside of its country’s borders while providing training for the use of new devices

so as to enhance the quality of outputs. Thus making them more marketable on the

international scene. However, interactions between peers can become non-existent;

workers might begin to feel unappreciated which may ultimately cause

underperformance.

5 Bloch, C. (2015). Advantages and Disadvantages. The Virtual Workplace - The Hartford.

In conclusion, as a result of incorporating virtual workplace into traditional

centralized offices, firms will see an improvement in their productivity level as well a

decrease in overhead costs that would have affected the stability of the firm where they

are now able to hire more while having that advantage in picking from a pool of qualified

individuals. As well as diversifying the culture of the business as workers have the choice

to work from anywhere in the world despite the fact that camaraderie is being neglected

as more persons are no longer focused on building friendships and relationships within

its physical structure.

References

Bloch, R. (2015). Advantages and Disadvantages, The Virtual Workplace - The Hartford.

Thehartford.com. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from https://www.thehartford.com/business-

playbook/in-depth/virtual-workplace-advantages-disadvantages

Crandall, N., & Wallace, M. (1998). Work & rewards in the virtual workplace. New York:

AMACOM.

Haid, M. The Workplace Revolution: Six Steps to Build a Successful Virtual Workforce.

Thought Leadership, p. 1. Retrieved from http://www.right.com/thought-leadership/e-

newsletter/the-workplace-revolution-six-steps-to-build-a-successful-virtual-

workforce.pdf

Townsend, A., DeMarie, S., & Hendrickson, A. (1998). Virtual teams: Technology and the

workplace of the future. Academy Of Management Perspectives, 12(3), 17-29.

doi:10.5465/ame.1998.1109047

Reber, M. (2015). Working Virtually; The 21st Century Workplace (PowerPoint slides).

Facultyfiles.deanza.edu. Retrieved on 3 March 2015 from:

http://facultyfiles.deanza.edu/gems/reberm/WorkingVirtuallyPPT81209.ppt