Virtual office vs coworking space. Which one is for you?

by Desq Worx Coworking spaces for independent professionals

A virtual office has a physical address but there is no need for recruiting administrative staff for the office. If a business has this type of office, the employees can work from anywhere and the administration and the employees will be connected with each other. The location of the office is not fixed but still, the office can work as a single unit. Such types of offices are better for start-up companies.

Coworking can be defined as an office where there is a fixed timing and employees have to sit eight to nine hours to complete the given job and target. People find their co-workers from the same company and space is provided to each employee to work and also keep their belongings. Coworking is suitable for established companies as they can also manage virtual offices remotely.

Let’s study the difference between the concepts

Virtual office space is available in cyberspace where freelancers and start-ups can use it to connect with their employers. There is no need to work daily nor there is a need to work for a fixed time. People can set their own time and work accordingly.

A coworking space has a physical office where co-workers come and work for a fixed time. Space is divided into cubicles or small portion and each employee is assigned a particular portion to work.

Advantages of virtual office

There are many advantages to a virtual office, which are as follows.

There is no fixed working hours and people can work as per the hours they have fixed for themselves.
People have the freedom of moving anywhere after working for a few hours. Researches have told that people who sit continuously for 11 hours for work are prone to death at an early age.
People have the flexibility of timings and they can also enjoy parties and tours with their families.
There is no need to get ready and go to the office for work. People can start working as soon as they get up. This will also help in reducing pollution as people need not take out their vehicles and go to the office for work.

Advantages of coworking space

There are many advantages of coworking space, which are as follows.

The personal and professional life are separated and people can work in such an environment, which helps in increasing their productivity.
People can chat with co-workers on various topics and they can also ask for help if there is any problem in the given task or if there is any problem in the system.
There will be a separate community and co-workers can work as well as enjoy as they can arrange parties and different events besides working.
People will also get the opportunity of meeting clients and discuss the project or the problems in existing projects.

Disadvantages of virtual office

There are many disadvantages to a virtual office, which are as follows.

There is a lack of centralization if a freelancer has employed some employees to work him remotely. Meetings cannot be arranged self-discipline cannot be maintained.
Scheduling the time and delivering the project is difficult as there is much workload. The worker may have to ask the clients to stop giving work, as he has to complete his backlog.
Interacting with clients and employees become difficult and if a work is not delivered on time, it is a problematic condition.

Disadvantages of coworking office

There are some disadvantages to the coworking office, which are as follows.

The productivity of the employees decrease because of noise, crowds, and other reasons.
People need hardware and software to work and employees may or may not be familiar with how to use them.
It is difficult to maintain privacy.

Conclusion

A virtual office is a good thing for start-ups and freelancers. They can work from remote areas and productivity will also increase. Coworking space is useful for established companies as they can also have a virtual office so that they can manage the staff remotely.