Economic impact changes work: Professionals recreate the office in home atmosphere

Erik Goodlan’s office in Boise has two computers. It has blue walls and black ceilings. Strong Bad and Nintendo paraphernalia serve as d_cor, and it’s pretty messy, he said. Every now and then, one of his small children will peek through a crack in the door, and if he’s not busy, he’ll take a minute to say hi or let the child in to drum on his Rock Band drums while he writes code.

Goodlan is one of increasing numbers of Americans who have abandoned the traditional office setting in favor of working from home. They’re leaving behind traffic and gas money, dress codes, commercial leases and distracting coworkers.
But they’re also leaving behind the office equipment an employer provides, the receptionist who directs calls, the professional-looking environment for meeting with clients and the interaction with colleagues that can generate good ideas.
Five years ago, Goodlan worked for a Web development company in California. His hour-through-traffic commute ended when he and his wife moved to Boise, from where his employer allowed him to telecommute, which he did for about a year. Now, he’s still at home, doing contract work for a Chicago company with other clients, including locals, on the side.
Goodlan talked about an acquaintance in Chicago who spends $27 a day riding the train to work, which also costs a lot of time.
“He would get back two hours of his life every day by working from home,” he said. “That is one of the great things. I can get up in the morning and have breakfast with my kids. I’m able to take a small 15-minute break and walk my son to the bus stop on his first day of school. … I feel much more connected to my kids; when I’m done with work, I’m home right away. I can’t even quantify how much value that gives.”
Since virtually all of Goodlan’s business can be conducted over computer, he doesn’t have to worry about providing a sleek space for meeting with clients. For periodic personal interaction, he meets local clients at their offices or at a coffee shop.
But in some fields, a Nintendo- and Strong-Bad-filled home office won’t fly. Some clients want to see their attorney or broker or CPA in a professional-looking office.
That’s where virtual offices can come in handy. Professionals can work mostly from home, but then go to a virtual office provider when they need to meet someone or just need a quiet place to work on an extra-noisy day.
At Davinci Executive Office Suites in downtown Boise, professionals can pay by the month for the use of the business center ($95) and phone service ($149), and by the hour to use the conference room ($25 for the smallest one) or the day office ($30). Businesses can arrange to have a receptionist forward phone calls to a home or cell phone, and they can have mail sent to a high-end address downtown.
“The idea is that you’re trying to portray a professional image,” said Davinci owner Dan Sparks. “If you’re a financial advisor trying to reach a certain level of client, … and you call them on the phone and they hear the dog barking in the background, and you want to meet downtown at Starbucks – that doesn’t portray the image you want to portray.”
Sparks said while the virtual office concept is growing rapidly in markets across the U.S., it’s not as common in Idaho. He said the potential in the market here, however, is immense.
Public relations consultant Jeanette Duwe said meeting with her clients at their offices or at a coffee shop has worked well for her and her clients so far. She operates Duwe Public Relations from her home in Boise. Later down the road, she said, a virtual office or executive suite could become an option, but for now, she’s enjoying working from home. But not every bedroom in every house makes a good home office.
 “When we purchased our current home, admittedly, I was a bit naive when planning my office,” she said. “I made sure there was adequate space in the office for my furniture and that the room was wired for internet, TV and my company phone. The room, however, has turned out to be less than ideal when compared with the home office at our previous home, with the primary challenges being space and general room layout.”
Residential real estate agent Jake Conklin of the Jake Conklin Team in Boise said the market for homes with viable home-office space started to grow noticeably about two or three years ago as job structures have morphed to take advantage of new technology. Often clients approach homebuying with an eye out for good home office space.
“There’s not enough supply of homes that are set up that way,” he said. “I don’t think new construction builders have taken advantage of the demand. Some are doing it, but I don’t think it’s a top priority."