Are offices obsolete?

• The rise of the modern office

• The pros and cons of an office

• Remote work and Misulis Group

• So what’s the verdict?

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Working from home has never been more popular with the COVID-19 pandemic and a necessity to keep our distance. As the pandemic enters its 3rd year and life settles down, the future of working from home is up in the air. While some companies are pushing back against the trend and trying to bring life back to the office, other companies are opening their arms to embrace remote work and carry it into the future with permanent remote solutions. As workers navigate this time of change and uncertainty about their jobs, it's essential to ask, 'is the office outdated'?

With the cost of gas on the rise and inflation taking off worldwide, many workers don't want the added expense of driving to an office.

The rise of the modern office

Before we look into the growing remote work trend, we have to look at the history of office work. The first offices date back to Ancient Rome, where we get the word office from the Latin "officium." After Rome fell, much of the world transitioned to working from home. Most clerks and business owners had living quarters connected to their shop or workspace and could essentially work from home as we now think about it.

The first large-scale office buildings were constructed in England, with the old admiralty office, which is still in use today, and the east India house. 

Around the start of the 20th century, new technology allowed the creation of high-rise buildings capable of hosting hundreds of offices altogether, thanks to steel frame construction. At this time, frank Lloyd wright developed the first open-plan office space in the Larkin administration building. High rises, climate control, and fluorescent lighting allowed offices became the confined, artificial places we know today.

The 1960s brought a split in ideas as both the Burolandschaft and action office were introduced. The first was a more open, organic style of loosely defined workspaces that encouraged collaboration. The second was a collection of flexible, personalized semi-enclosed workspaces that provided more privacy.

Finally, in the 1980's we got the ever despised cubical system as a response to the booming economy and growth of jobs. This cubby system allowed hundreds of workers to have private studio workspaces without having to give each individual an office.

In 2005 the first co-working space was opened for people working outside the traditional office setting. Since then, the co-working space has blown up as freelancers, remote workers, and independent contractors wanted a middle ground between working at home and the creativity-zapping office environment. 

The pros and cons of an office

The office isn't a total flop despite the many benefits of working from home. There are some real benefits to having a dedicated office space where workers can gather. In an office setting, time management is often easier for workers who can keep a stricter schedule and have more cooperation opportunities with coworkers. With people so close, asking for help and receiving assistance are much more manageable. However, the office setting is often rigid and doesn't allow people to schedule around things like childcare. Commuting daily can be expensive and mentally taxing, as can the requisite small talk that accompanies being in an enclosed space with many people. Offices offer workers less autonomy over projects and schedules, making collaborative work easier and encouraged by supervisors.

On the other hand, remote work has a lot of benefits, especially for people who can't swing a traditional 9-5 job. Remote work provides unattainable flexibility and independence in an office environment while allowing workers to save time and money by not commuting. This also benefits families, as working from home will enable people to save on childcare they would otherwise have to pay. Remote work also saves the company money as they don't have to cover the cost of maintaining a dedicated office space.

The benefits of working from home do come at a cost. Workers have less structure than in a dedicated office space, creating isolation. This can also cause people to be overworked as they lose their clear separation of work and home life. 

While working in an office space has some clear benefits, it might be time to leave it in the past. Remote work is growing in popularity as people struggle to afford the cost of living with inflation, the growing price of childcare, and the surging gas prices. The benefits to workers far outweigh the noted negatives. There are more remote jobs than ever before, and companies that fail to adapt to this new style of collaboration will be left in the dust.

Remote work and Misulis Group

What does a fully remote work situation look like, and how does it navigate the previously discussed problems?

With the rise in popularity of remote work, more and more companies are choosing to transition to a 100% remote workforce. Here at Misulis Group, we have adopted the remote model with success. The CEO believes that giving employees the freedom to work where they want provides the highest quality of work.

"One of the biggest benefits of working remotely is accessing more help from more people worldwide."

We are a company based in Tbilisi with workers in several continents and different time zones. Instead of choosing from the candidates available, we can hire whoever is the best fit. We also don't have a set working schedule. Each employee has a set number of working hours per week, and we set up a once-weekly check-in to ensure that everyone is held accountable and on track.

"While coming to an office and having a routine might give some idle chatter and communication, remote work lets you pick and choose you’re a team. No A-Team where they are, and no matter what time is convenient for them to work."

This flexibility doesn't only serve the company. A remote position offers freedom to people who would otherwise not be able to work. By providing the freedom to set their schedule, employees get to contribute in the most practical way for their satiation.

"Now that we are completely remote, each of us has our schedules. One employee likes to do her work late at night. Another employee works while she has time away from her baby. I like doing a little at a time rather than one big work block. It's made me faster at getting back to people and more relaxed when it is time to take on a new task."

While this system might not work for everyone, it allows Misulis Group to juggle multiple projects and have team members collaborate without sharing office space or being bogged down with meetings throughout the week. This approach also gives each employee more freedom to be creative and take risks with their projects, and that innovative approach often produces unexpected results.

So what’s the verdict?

After exploring the history of the office setting and weighing out the pros and cons against a real-world example of a fully remote company, we are left with the main question. Are offices obsolete?

Realistically, remote work won't serve every company equally, and many people need the structured rigidity of an office. However, as we move into the post-COVID world, with inflation pushing prices higher and higher, remote work is becoming a popular option for many people trying to save money everywhere possible. Working from home saves on gas, childcare, and other work-related expenses. I don't think every job has the capacity to be a 100% remote position, but I do believe the era of the office is fading. More and more industries will be moving in the direction of technology-aided collaboration. Companies that want to stay competitive in the job market should offer at least part-time work-from-home options or flexible scheduling.