The cost of unpredictable business property requirements can be sidestepped with the introduction of remote working tech.
That鈥檚 the view of Jason Downes, managing director of communications software company PowWowNow, which has 90,000 users on its platform.
Founded in 2004, the London-based company鈥檚 success is testament to the changing demands of the workforce, having doubled in size every four years.
鈥淭here are big businesses out there with very little office space,鈥� Downes told 老九品茶Cloud.
鈥淐onversely, if you look around London you see an expensive property and there are not enough people in it. That’s what is helping to grow the likes of WeWork, because people want a more flexible model.鈥�
Downes said that businesses which allow remote working are typically 鈥測oung in mind, not young in age鈥� and are best-prepared for a new generation entering the workforce.
鈥淭he generation that is coming through is used to having information at their fingertips, from the comfort of their sofa,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 expect to have anything less than immediate access, wherever they are.鈥�
PowWowNow focuses on mid-market customers but also serves large UK financial services, retailers and government bodies.
Its communication tech ensured that as it grew its remote workforce, its own culture and security remained unharmed. Whilst there is also the ability to track productivity of remote workers, Downes believes that is missing the point.
鈥淚t’s about having trust in people to know that they can work very productively, and even more productively 鈥� from the data we’ve seen 鈥� away from the office,鈥� he said.
The approach has allowed the company to retain its existing headquarters despite growing to 拢20m projected revenue for 2018.
鈥淲e won’t worry about not having enough space, we’ll let technology enable it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he revenue we鈥檝e saved is now being invested back into marketing and sales 鈥� the things that actually grow your business.
鈥淧eople want more flexibility to do what they are most passionate about. That might be dropping the kids off, going to the gym, hobbies.
鈥淲ith the thought of working for 60 years, you need to have a bit more balance.鈥�