Working from home used to be the world’s dream. Everyone’s on board with having their own home office, no rushed mornings, and no traffic to deal with – as long as it’s their own decision. Once the pandemic broke out, and the world began to panic, being required to stay home stopped sounding appealing. But it’s not a matter of choice at this point.

It’s A Challenge In The “Office”

Remotely working from your home can be a hindrance to productivity – and it has been during the COVID-19 pandemic, as research points out in Stanford News. People struggle daily with adjusting to their new work-from-home lifestyle. They have to focus on their work, while balancing child or pet care, keep up with their wellness and mental health (which you can find some helpful tips about here), and avoid all other distractions, such as their desire to run their own business instead of working for someone else.

That sounds like a hard place to find balance in, and we’re all struggling with it right now. Although it’s been a challenge the world has had to face, this situation can be more than just a hindrance. It can be an opportunity for us as well.

Dream Big, Reach High

Most people have a goal they have yet to complete – a lot of those including starting up their own company. However, it’s hard to focus on starting something like that when you can’t even focus on your current work-from-home requirements. Make it easier on yourself, and bridge the gap. Get help from Officense with virtual office assistants, office space when you need it, and a professional business address.

Here, we can help you regain that focus you’ve been struggling to get back. Have a one-on-one consultation with one of our executive assistants or sales coordinators to discuss your business ideas. Or just use one of our private offices, for a change of scenery, while still complying with the stay-at-home and social distancing orders CDC has in place.

Time To Make Your Move

As humans, we get complacent, and it’s normal – people tend to think it makes them feel more comfortable. But there’s a difference in complacency and comfort. We have adapted to being cooped up inside all day. We are surrounded by the same (maybe annoying, maybe not) people every day, all day long. Our surroundings never change from the workplace to home environment anymore, and things are starting to blur together.

We’ve been stripped of our daily routines all around the world, and were given extreme changes to make, given the circumstances. If we’re not careful, we’ll start forming unhealthy habits and routines, soon to replace our old lifestyles all together. Now is not the time to be complacent. Instead, now is the time to build healthier lifestyle routines and career choices; don’t focus on the now for now, focus on the now for future. It’s like the world kind of hit the reset button for us. So it’s time for us to take this lesson in stride, and flourish.

Let Us Help Your Home Office

At Officense, our executive assistants answer your calls, handle your mail, greet your clients, and provide a corporate feel with an impressive, professional business address. We provide high-end business facilities with fully furnished office spaces (either dedicated to you, or a la carte). We also have conference rooms available by the hour as well. An instant office when you need it, executive phone services for a professional feel, and an impressive staff to help with your administrative tasks. Give Officense a call at (410) 814-7500, or send an email to info@officense.com. We can schedule a tour for you to see your new office and meet your new staff. Stay healthy, stay safe, and we’ll look forward to seeing you soon!

“The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities.”

– Benjamin E. Mays

Everybody knows the rules, we see them popping up on the news all the time: Stay at home. Stay inside. Stay 6 feet away from everyone. Keep gloves, a mask, and maybe even hand sanitizer on you at all times. This guidance is looking more and more like the new norm for society.

COVID-19 GUIDANCE IS TAKING A TOLL

You can ask people if they think the actions being taken are necessary, and most will say yes. (After all, we have to admit it’s been slowing the virus down. Not to mention mother nature seeing tremendous improvements for the first time in a long while.) However, we all know the saying: Every action has a consequence. These mostly-beneficial actions have their own share of consequences, too. In a recent Forbes issue, the author, Tracy Brower, states some extreme post-coronavirus statistics.

“67% of people report higher levels of stress since the outbreak of COVID-19,” writes Brower. “57% say they have greater anxiety since the outbreak. 54% say they are more emotionally exhausted. 53% say they feel sadness day-to-day…” Her stats only continue.

Tracy Brower, Forbes

As human beings, we require certain things to maintain healthy operational levels – and many of the actions being taken are weighing heavily on peoples’ overall well-being. Many people working from home are losing their motivation. Individuals everywhere are feeling overwhelmed and burdened by the COVID-19 circumstances. Even those who aren’t stressed by the outbreak itself are still affected through their interactions with the world. There’s no question that everyone altered their lifestyles, some drastically, to meet the new regulations: from work, to school, to home, to leisure. No wonder people haven’t balanced their sense of well-being. Many aren’t even sure if their company will still be in good standing once everything is said and done.

OFFICENSE UNDERSTANDS

At Officense, we know how much of a challenge everything is right now. With everyone required to stay at home constantly, it’s easy to lose the drive to do anything – even things you used to really care about. We want you know that you don’t have to be entirely alone in this struggle. While it’s still true that you can’t go out to dinner or a movie or have big family celebrations anymore, you can still try to make the best of a bad situation, just as the rest of the world’s been trying. It’s important to take time during this world-wide crisis to recalibrate your mental state, and grow your well-being. Let your company’s operations be the least of your worries right now, that’s what Officense is here for.

HELPFUL SERVICES

We can help you on the business and financial aspect of things. Officense offers virtual administrative assistance, with a fully trained team of executive assistants handling anything from your phone calls, mail receiving and forwarding, scans and faxes, and even private meeting rooms, which are also in compliance with the social distancing order. Our plans are very flexible, with both long-term and short-term options, such as our 30-day services for those affected by COVID-19 and only need space for a temporary period.

Officense is also offering free assistance in applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which is a forgivable loan for businesses to pay their employees during the COVID-19 crisis designed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While you let Officense take some worries off your plate with your business’ administrative operations, and the loan application assistance, you can have more time to focus on what is starting to really matter during these times – you and your families mental state.

FOR MORE INFO OR TO CONTACT OFFICENSE

To find out more information on the COVID-19 relief program, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program-ppp

To download the PPP application PDF, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form–paycheck-protection-program-borrower-application-form

You can reach us at 410-814-7500, or send an email with any assistance or inquiries to info@officense.com. Our office hours are currently 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday thru Friday. We are still available to meet in person, if you’d like to tour the space and get a chance to see all we have to offer on site. Our office is located at 300 E. Lombard St., Suite 840, Baltimore, MD 21202. We, over at Officense, hope things haven’t been too straining on you or your loved ones through this time of need, and we are sending our warm wishes to you all. Hope to help you and your company soon!

Okay, that statement might be a bit dramatic.

However, with recent light of COVID-19, there are plenty of industries that should be appreciated – now more than ever. Such as the hard-working doctors and hospital employees, postal service/delivery employees, and of course our grocery stores. And now, virtual offices and virtual assistants are also becoming a blessing as well.

THE CURRENT PANDEMIC

The entire world has seemingly come to a complete halt in terms of keeping daily life operating. While the advice WHO is urging people towards, such as social distancing, is necessary to help prevent the virus from further spreading, it doesn’t stop business-owners from worrying about keeping their company above water. In these hard times, questions start rolling in – each one in a panic – about how to keep things functioning.

How long will we need to be closed for?

How will I pay my employees still?

Will I have to lay some people off?

I know my bills don’t stop just because of the shut-down; will I be able to afford my business expenses?

Or even my personal expenses?

VIRTUAL OFFICES

Virtual offices are on the up and coming when it comes down to go-to business decisions. And with today’s circumstance of COVID-19, space from people and the office is not at all a bad thing. In fact, it’s a really great alternative to the work-from-home solution some companies have been positioning to their employees. With virtual offices, you don’t have to train your entire staff on working from home and all that it can entail – with protocols, set-ups, remote connections and access to the office desktops, etc. Instead, let the executive assistant team at Officense take care of it for you.

Officense is a virtual office space with services from fully-trained executive assistants. We can handle things for your business operations such as answering phone calls or maintaining scans, faxes and mail. While we do have plenty of individual, private office spaces – in compliance with the social distancing order – we also can complete your tasks for your company without you having to step foot in the building.

CONTACT US

Give us a call today, at 410-814-7500. Or, if you’re feeling healthy/adventurous enough, stop by in person for a tour and take a look at what we offer. We are located at 300 E. Lombard St. Suite 840. Baltimore, MD 21202. Officense will be here, ready to help you keep your company in business during these trying times.

Anyone that starts a business obviously wants to see it grow. So have you taken the time to really think about how beneficial networking could be? I understand that finding the ability to network in your overly-flooded schedule can be challenging for any business owners. It requires a decent amount of free time – and money too – to go to networking events, schedule dinner meetings, or even to stop by a potential partner’s workplace.

Imagine this scenario:

You have to get A, B and C done for your company by the end of the week – on top of finishing X, Y and Z. You have a few meetings in the mix and now something else goes wrong along the way too. Maybe employees got sick so everyone thinks they have the coronavirus, or maybe people just show up not wanting to work. Now you have a plethora of tasks, and definitely no time for a networking meeting. Sounds about right for any company at any given moment.

You’re frustrated while heading home, so you bring it up to your family at dinner. Then you bring it up again when you go out for drinks with some friends. And now your buddies, who struggle with business issues themselves, are also talking about the downfalls for everyones companies.

But what if you found something that would alleviate at least half of your current problems? What if it freed up some extra money for your business too? What if you had a mutual place to meet for networking discussions? Or better yet, what if you worked in a coworking office with some of your potential partners?

Now imagine this scenario:

You and your employees work in a coworking space, which is a shared office that would allow individuals from various companies to work independently or collaboratively. Coworking environments could really be a beneficial factor in a company’s expansion, and overall success rate. Like I said, it takes time and money to go out of your way for all of these networking meetings. If you relocated your business to a coworking space, your rent would be cut back pretty tremendously. In turn opening up funds for more business moves you want to make, such as making investments in networking campaigns.

Coworking spaces themselves also give the opportunity for networking, because you are in a space with people you otherwise wouldn’t meet in a regular workplace setting. As you are working in the same office suite as these other companies, you come to build a relationship with them. After all, you’re seeing them on a regular basis and learning what they do. Some business owners feel co-working spaces can be counter intuitive to what they are trying to accomplish. They feel employees will either be talking too much, or keeping headphones on all day, avoiding interaction with eachother in general. While that sometimes is the case, it’s not always true.

Officense is the answer:

Luckily, here at Officense we have a coworking space with individual offices. When you have your own office inside a coworking environment, it provides a sense of privacy you otherwise wouldn’t get in other open-floor plans to complete your work without distractions. All while still encouraging coworkers and other business owners who work in the space with you to step into your office and discuss collaborations and business opportunities (hence, the networking aspect you’ve been craving).

If you are meeting with a larger group, we have 2 conference rooms, equipped with a monitor for video conferencing as well. Even if you didn’t need a full-time office, you could always make it a part-time solution, as we have very cost-effective day rates for renting the conference rooms and offices only when you need it. Officense also offers around the clock access to the space we have provided for you. So even when your company doesn’t run 24×7, those late night conferences can still continue if you wish.

Another benefit to our coworking space at Officense is the ability to utilize our team of executive assistants to handle your receptionist work. You wouldn’t have to hire employees who don’t want to work anymore. Instead, you’d have us here ready to help you out with whatever you need. So stop being overwhelmed with stress and things to do! Don’t discuss all the things going wrong over drinks tonight, talk to your group about the perfect solution: contacting Officense!

Contact Us Today:

We’ll be ready to help with your coworking needs, so you can focus more on networking, and growing your business to it’s full potential. For more information, call Officense at 410-814-7500, email us at info@officense.com, or stop in for a visit. We are located at 300 E. Lombard St., Suite 840, Baltimore, MD 21202. We’ll look forward to meeting you!