• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Columns

The Virtual Office Concept

By Paul Ridilla
August 1, 2008
Why not have some of your office employees stay home and get paid?



The largest majority of contractors in all trades started out as mom-and-pop businesses, where Pop did all of the estimating and paperwork at home and Mom kept the financial books up-to-date. As the business became successful, they hired office personnel and moved the business functions out of their home.

Mom now has to get up early, get dressed and drive to the office:
  • This requires a second automobile and travel expenses.
  • She needs proper clothes for the office.
  • She may not be able to dress the kids for school or take them and/or pick them up from classes or from after-school activities and sports, or may not be home to meet them after school.
  • She needs to hire a babysitter for small children or if she has a sick child home from school.
  • She has very limited time now to prepare dinners, clean the home and keep up with the laundry.
  • She may need someone to take care of the family pets.
  • She must now juggle grocery shopping, other shopping, any doctor and dental appointments, etc., to fit into her already busy schedule.
Their business may be successful enough to replace Mom at the office so that she can once again become a homemaker, wife and mother at home. But we should not only be concerned about the boss’s wife. How about the inconvenience for all of your office personnel?

IBM is one of the major businesses in the United States that has successfully adopted the “stay-home-and-get-paid” philosophy. In addition to the tremendous recruiting and retention benefits, it is saving millions of dollars in costly office space. However, it has enhanced the image with the fancy name of virtual office. (My Webster’s dictionary does not define virtual office, but the word virtual means: “Being so in effect or essence although not in actual fact or name.” In construction language, that means: “It’s your office, even though it is actually your home.”)

Depending on the size of your business and the number of office employees you use, this savings on office space may not be a major concern. You simply need to offer this virtual office opportunity to each member of your office staff to appreciate why all of those major corporations are paying their employees to stay home. They call them their mobile team.

Pros And Cons

This transition to the virtual office is feasible because of today’s electronic communication and recordkeeping equipment. Cell phone cameras, e-mail and Web sites (including Intranet sites) are effective regardless of where the employee is located.

We will look at some of the techniques for eliminating any doubts or questions of why this would not work with your office staff. But first let’s look at the positives:

1. Top of the list is travel time and expense. Most of our contractors have not even adopted flex time to eliminate sitting in frustrating morning and late aftemoon rush hour traffic jams. Depending on where your employees live, saving 10 trips per week travel time would be a blessing.

And let’s not forget that today’s horrendous gasoline prices have seriously increased already high auto expenses. As you know, travel to and from your job is not a tax-deductible expense. It’s easy to understand why eliminating this travel time and expense would attract new employees as well as pleasing your present staff.

2. The virtual office provides the opportunity to hire handicapped or light-duty workers’ comp employees or an unlicensed driver.

3. An expectant mother could stay home during her pregnancy, after childbirth and for child care.

4. Babysitting and chauffeuring children to and from school would no longer be a problem, and home schooling could be scheduled.

5. The virtual office is extremely convenient for families with two working spouses.

6. Service contractors can provide a live voice for customers throughout the entire week, rather than just traditional office hours.

7. You can imagine employees’ bragging rights with relatives, friends and neighbors.

Since the stay-home-and-get-paid concept is so positive for employees, why aren’t more contractors offering it as a benefit? Let’s look at some of their questions and doubts:

1. Top of this list is getting work done on time. If an employee is home doing whatever he or she likes to do, how can you be sure he or she will be doing what you are paying him or her to do?

  • How can you be sure each employee is doing what you are paying him or her to do while he or she is working at your office? Have you never delegated something important that did not get done on time? Have you never seen an office employee gabbing with the other employees, playing computer games, talking to their friends on your telephone, starting late or leaving early?

  • Whether your employee is working at home or working at your company’s office, you need to negotiate a written job description that clearly defines what you expect him or her to do and how much you will pay for doing it. We call this a scope of work, similar to what you agree to do with your customers on contract work.

    You should also do a time study for each task that you assign to be certain each employee has a fair and equitable bargain. You should be using our AAA-SSS delegating guidelines:
      __ Assign your task and a time for completion.

      __ Act, which means your employee did it.

      __ Ask, which means something did not get accomplished.

      __ Surprise; you find out it wasn’t done.

      __ Struggle; whatever it takes to resolve the problem.

      __ Slide; take away that responsibility and delegate it to a responsible employee.
    These delegating guidelines have always worked with office personnel, but you can see how much more effective they work with your mobile team in order to keep that privilege.

    You also need a checklist to ensure that critical tasks and responsibilities are fulfilled on time. Fortunately, computer calendars provide daily reminders.

    2. The next question regards paperwork such as contracts, shop drawings, samples and submittals that must be handled at your office.

  • Your expeditors may need to come in at different intervals to handle these hands-on tasks. You should maintain a mobile desk for their use.

    3. Your receptionist probably sees 10 to 15 visitors at your office each day. How could she work at home?

  • That is definitely an exception which might be resolved by assigning that duty to another employee willing to travel and work normal office hours.

    This very same virtual office situation occurs with a contractor who has retail sales located in his office.

    4. The estimator and the purchasing manager must have a drafting table to layout blueprints.

  • If they prefer working at home, I am sure they can find room in their home, basement, garage or even in the attic. Naturally, these individuals would also need occasional visits to the office to accomplish their responsibilities.

    5. Our last negative question concerns compensation: Should you reduce those employees’ salaries if they are realizing all those savings?

  • You could definitely negotiate a lesser wage or salary with someone you are hiring, but not with your existing employees. This concept is not costing you any more.

    You will soon discover how much you benefit from your employees’ attitudes and efficiency, as well as office expense and recruiting/retention power.

    The virtual office concept and flex-time options are the most appreciated contributions you can give your employees, even though they make you more money rather than costing you.

    The only remaining question is, “Why aren’t you offering this to your employees?”


  • Links

    • Contact Plumbing & Mechanical

    Share This Story

    Looking for a reprint of this article?
    From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

    Ridilla

    Questions? Need help? Call Paul at 407/699-8515, on his cell at 407/467-4916 or e-mail him (reference Plumbing & Mechanical magazine).

    Recommended Content

    JOIN TODAY
    to unlock your recommendations.

    Already have an account? Sign In

    • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

      Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

      Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
      Green Plumbing and Mechanical
      By: Nicole Krawcke
    • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

      The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

      Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
      Plumbing News
      By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
    • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

      Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

      Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
      Plumbing News
      By: Nicole Krawcke
    close

    1 COMPLIMENTARY ARTICLE(S) LEFT

    Loader

    Already a Registered User? Sign in now.

    Subscribe For Free!
    • eNewsletters
    • Online Registration
    • Subscription Customer Service
    • eMagazine
    • Manage My Preferences

    Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

    Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

    AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

    AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

    IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

    IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

    NIBCO Press Solutions

    NIBCO Press Solutions

    More Videos

    Sponsored Content

    Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

    close
    • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
      Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

      The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

    Popular Stories

    The interior of a government building.

    President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

    Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

    Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

    Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

    Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

    PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

    Events

    November 13, 2024

    Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

    Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

    EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

    View All Submit An Event

    Poll

    Will business be up or down in 2025?

    Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
    View Results Poll Archive

    Products

    The Water Came To A Stop

    The Water Came To A Stop

    See More Products

    Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

    ×

    Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

    Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

    JOIN TODAY!
    • RESOURCES
      • Advertise
      • Contact Us
      • Directories
      • Store
      • Want More
      • Supply House Times
    • SIGN UP TODAY
      • Create Account
      • eMagazine
      • eNewsletter
      • Customer Service
      • Manage Preferences
    • SERVICES
      • Marketing Services
      • Reprints
      • Market Research
      • List Rental
      • Survey/Respondent Access
    • STAY CONNECTED
      • LinkedIn
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • YouTube
      • X (Twitter)
    • PRIVACY
      • PRIVACY POLICY
      • TERMS & CONDITIONS
      • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
      • PRIVACY REQUEST
      • ACCESSIBILITY

    Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

    search
    cart
    facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
    • Sign In
    • Create Account
    • Sign Out
    • My Account
    • NEWS
    • PRODUCTS
    • CONTRACTORS
      • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
      • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
      • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
      • TECHNOLOGY
      • WATER TREATMENT
      • PMC COLUMNS
        • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
        • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
        • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
        • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
        • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
    • ENGINEERS
      • CONTINUING EDUCATION
      • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
      • FIRE PROTECTION
      • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
      • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
      • PME COLUMNS
        • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
        • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
        • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
        • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
        • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
        • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
    • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
      • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
      • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
    • INSIGHTS
      • CODES
      • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
      • PROJECT PROFILES
      • COLUMNS
        • Codes Corner
        • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
        • Guest Editorial
      • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
    • MEDIA
      • PODCASTS
      • VIDEOS
      • WEBINARS
    • RESOURCES
      • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
      • DIRECTORIES
      • EBOOKS
      • PM BOOKSTORE
      • CE CENTER
      • MARKET RESEARCH
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • EMAGAZINE
      • EMAGAZINE
      • ARCHIVE ISSUES
      • CONTACT
      • ADVERTISE
      • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
    • SIGN UP!