More and more these days, work is being done in offices. We are in the post-industrial period, and more and more of the jobs are of the white collar variety. That means people in an office behind a desk. However, there actually are some advantages to allowing work arrangements that don’t correspond to the traditional office setting.

One alternative to traditional office work is working in a co working space. Coworking spaces are essentially shared office spaces where individuals and even entire companies may share space. This type of arrangement comes with a number of benefits. For one thing, it is considerably cheaper than renting a traditional space for workers. It also is more flexible, as most coworking spaces allow you to rent by the month or even the week, rather than having to sign a long-term lease. This allows you the flexibility to grow as you need to or to contract if business hits a rough patch. Coworking spaces also provide you with the tools you need to run your business, including phones, computers, fax and copy machines, and conference rooms.

Another alternative to the traditional office setting is allowing some or all employees to telecommute. Working remotely also has a lot of benefits. For one thing, it can help you cut costs. Having people work from home rather than onsite means you can cut down on the amount of space you pay to lease. Remote working also can make your employees more productive, with two-thirds of managers saying they see an increase in productivity when employees work remotely and most companies seeing a reduction in employee absences. Telecommuting also can have benefits for employees, as well. One study showed that 82% of telecommuters reported lower levels of stress. The flexibility of telecommuting also gives employees more non-work time, because they don’t have a commute to deal with. One additional benefit of telecommuting is that it can help you recruit better employees. When employees can work from wherever, it allows you to recruit from a wider area.

Before implementing strategies such as coworking or telecommuting, you need to study the subject thoroughly. Seriously consider both the pros and cons, and if you do decide to try it, do it gradually and take volunteers to shift to coworking or telecommuting. If these strategies are a success, then you can expand them gradually to more employees.