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Virtual offices enable 'swan syndrome' of workplace change

Virtual offices and the remote working revolution are enabling workplaces to cater for the ‘swan syndrome’ of rapid change since the economy’s emergence from COVID-19 lockdowns.

In a newly published book called Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office, Jeremy Myerson and Philip Ross explain that the pandemic was the latest in a series of shocks to the established system of work.

“We are witnessing the ‘swan syndrome’ in workplace change,” they write. “What looked on the surface to be a smooth evolution of the working practices, technologies and ideas first implemented one hundred years ago is, below the waterline, a deep disruption to our way of working – and we’re paddling like crazy to keep up.”

How do virtual offices help?

Virtual offices, including those operated by serviced office providers, remove the monolithic nature from physical workplaces, transforming the office into “one node in a dynamic organisational network”.

The authors explain: “For the first time, virtual presents coexists with physical presence in the work environment. Its momentum has been driven neither by developers nor by owner-occupiers, as in previous eras of the office, but by service providers.”

As offices transform from isolation to connected nodes, the nature of the work carried out is changing too – the authors term this a shift away from repetitive ‘process work’ to less structured and more creative ‘knowledge work’.

Embracing a digital lifestyle

Virtual offices, as part of serviced offices, allow workforces to benefit from physical contact details, without being physically tied to those premises.

In their book, the authors write: “The postal address, telephone number and fax number that allowed communication with physical premises have all become virtual and disconnected from the bricks and mortar that was once the home and hub of corporate technology.”

As Gen Z, born in 1995-2012, becomes the dominant generation in the workplace, this virtualisation is likely to continue, with the emergence of ‘synchronous interaction’ and the notion that “everything is done together”.

Adopting virtual offices

We are at a pivot point, whereby the majority of businesses still operate a mainly office-based workforce with remote working individuals, but have yet to embrace the full benefits of running a virtual office.

Serviced Office Company’s virtual offices in London, Telford and Manchester give you a business address and working contact details in a desirable location, without the need to take physical office space on-site.

If you ever need to hold a meeting in-person, we have for-hire meeting rooms in all of our serviced office buildings, allowing you to seamlessly transition to a physical workplace as and when you need to.

And as your business grows, you’re free to build your virtual workforce, or to occupy bricks-and-mortar serviced offices in our buildings, subject to availability – giving you the flexibility for your business to respond to the changing nature of UK office work in the years ahead.

To find out more about our serviced offices, meeting rooms and virtual offices in Telford, Manchester and London, contact the Serviced Office Company today and we will be happy to discuss your needs and arrange an in-person tour of our facilities.