Last but not least: Will editorial offices soon fall victim to the red pencil?
The world of work is becoming increasingly virtual. Thanks to new online technologies, journalists and editors can carry out many work activities not only in the editorial office, but from any location. Especially nowadays - when many publishing houses have to cut corners - this raises the question: do we still need offices at all?
In February, around 30 employees of the New York business magazine Inc tested whether virtual offices are really any good. For a month, they worked without an office infrastructure and only met once. How efficient the editorial team was during this time will become clear on April 6. That's when the product will be released from the virtual editorial office. This should answer the question of the need for office space - at least from an economic point of view.
What remains unclear, however, is what benefits the presence or absence brings to employees. After all, there is also a social component. One employee, for example, found that he was "more productive but less happy" during this time. He said he lacked interpersonal interaction. Doubts remain as to whether the latter argument will convince cool-headed strategists. At Ringier, the question is probably superfluous anyway due to the high investments for the new newsroom. However, should the virtual newsroom become established elsewhere, there would still be the option of relocating the editorial office to the nearest café.
What remains unclear, however, is what benefits the presence or absence brings to employees. After all, there is also a social component. One employee, for example, found that he was "more productive but less happy" during this time. He said he lacked interpersonal interaction. Doubts remain as to whether the latter argument will convince cool-headed strategists. At Ringier, the question is probably superfluous anyway due to the high investments for the new newsroom. However, should the virtual newsroom become established elsewhere, there would still be the option of relocating the editorial office to the nearest café.
