Smaller Workspace for Better Productivity

Yes you read the title correctly : "Smaller Workspace for Better Productivity".

In this era, everything is shrunk to achieve better efficiency. For example :

• modern computer is smaller, faster and consume less energy compared to the older generation of computer
• modern TV is also thinner, lighter, and wider compared to the older ones...

Workspace in modern office today also much smaller compared to old design.

Usually, if an office has a 50 employee, then there will be at least 50 desks/cubical in that office to enable all employees work at the same time. Now, its enough that the office has only 25 cubical or less during office peak hour (when all employee busy working at the same time).

This situation made possible by implementing "virtual office". Everyone could work everywhere they want (office, hot spots, home, garden, hotel, airport, moving car, train, etc.). Place is no longer an issue. Technology enables everyone to interconnect as if they are sitting in the same office.

One real example is working at Cisco Systems.

Cisco Systems Indonesia today has around 70 employees, but the office space is small and only less than half of employees could come and sit comfortably at the same time in the office. Cisco implemented virtual office since the beginning (in case of Cisco Systems Indonesia, it's started at 1995).

The actual problem is not on the technical side.

Employee behavior, maturity, and education level plays more important role than the technical.

However, the company could implement strict policy, and intelligent network foundation will enforce the company policy. At the end of the day, what we thought as an issue will no longer be issue...

In term of technical, we need to consider to implement the following (parts of SONA framework) :

• Full blown security - ensure no attack what-so-ever to the network
  
• Mobility - to enable working anytime, anywhere
• Storage - avoid disaster when something happen to the employee's pc or corporate data
• Unified Communication - enable communication anytime, anywhere using any media (mobile phone, desk phone, ip phone, virtual phone, handy talkie, messenger, email, etc.)
• Identity - one time login to access any resource

My experience in Cisco, virtual office increase employee productivity (I could work while in a taxi or airport or anyplace), reduce company expense (smaller space, etc.), and higher employee satisfaction (more freedom).

With the Jakarta traffic becoming worse and broadband access becoming widely available and more affordable, may be you also need to consider Virtual Office.

Some tips selecting the broadband access :

• the higher the bandwidth, the more satisfying it is
• if possible choose the flat rate with no limit (be careful when using payload based, the end of month bill could make big hole on your wallet)