The Future Of Work: How Office Design is Changing

THE FUTURE OF WORK: How Office Design is Changing

By Sara Jensen

If you were living in the 1980s, you would be expected to work in cubicles. However, today’s workplace is no longer your dad’s office. Workplace designs are rapidly changing and for the better. Now that 2019 is more than half gone, this is the perfect time to contemplate the future of the workplace.

As millennials and Generation Z enter the workforce from college, more and more employees are demanding a fresher, more innovative, and more imaginative work environment that promotes flexibility, creativity, productivity, and well-being.

That means we may be seeing the last of cramped cubicles and grey windowless walls or experiencing sitting at a desk staring mutely at the screen for eight hours.

Here are some aspects that define the future of the workplace:

FLEXIBLE UNIVERSITY-STYLE SPACE Research suggests that about 82% of fresh-out-of-college workers do not feel comfortable or happy with the traditional office design. At universities, students were allowed to work in libraries, cafes, classrooms, dorms, the garden, and anywhere they wanted. This is why new workers often get lost when they move from their flexible university environment into tightly structured corporate spaces. This results in new recruits taking longer to understand the company’s objective and also an increased risk of them leaving the company after a short time.

Although two jobs in a year may be acceptable to young workers, it can be a death knell for a new company struggling with high turnover. An engaging workplace experience can be the secret to retaining employees. New workplaces are coming equipped with private places for collaboration, which can offer plenty of opportunities for new hires to work in groups. Modern offices are also offering opportunities to relax and to focus on work and an open plan area for daily work and meal times.

ACTIVE WORKPLACE DESIGN One of the key values that are highlighted in modern workplaces is activity and wellbeing. Health and wellness are a priority for millennials and younger workers, and offices are now starting to incorporate flexible furniture and wellness programs.

Offices are a breeding ground for sedentary behavior, and a couple of hours of exercise after work just don’t cut it if you want optimum health. Keeping these in mind, modern offices are implementing a few distinct strategies:

• Something as simple as making stairs more attractive can work wonders. Most stairs consist of grey chunks of cement and white walls. They can be improved by adding a splash of color, allowing in more light, and making the stairs a more obvious choice. Some companies even host inter-departmental challenges to take stairs.

• You can also put key company hotspots in locations separate from each other. For example, you can place the photocopier or printer across the office from the coffee spot. This will promote more walking from one spot to another and can also encourage socializing.

• Several studies suggest that natural lighting translates to more alert and focused workers and can create a better indoor experience. Adding larger windows, skylights, or outdoor activity areas can unlock significant health and wellness benefits for your employees.

• A corporate gym is a very attractive perk for employees and can help release mood-elevating endorphins. This can help workers get rid of stress that is a natural part of corporate work and improve their productivity.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN “Going green” has become a buzzword for offices. Natural elements have shown to increase employee health by 13% and efficiency by 8%, so it seems the buzzword is here to stay.

Unlike older offices, which would make do with a few odd potted plants in a halfhearted attempt to bring some color into

the office, your entire office can be inspired by nature. Modern offices are now building bamboo walls that are wood but do not promote deforestation. The curves and lines of the office itself can mimic the swooshes of nature, and today’s offices are all about sustainability, using renewable resources, reducing carbon footprints, recycling, conserving water, and eating locally sourced organic food.

Keeping all of these things in mind, many companies are also factoring outdoor space into their workers’ functioning. If getting some fresh air can improve your attentiveness like magic, why not host a corporate brain-storming conference out on the lawn?

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY A smart office cannot connect just employees, it can connect all the things in an office building. Wireless technology gives us freedom to move about and creates more dynamic ways of working. It means your business is on its way to becoming more agile, collaborative, and intelligent.

Today’s offices are also welcoming virtual reality and augmented reality into their culture, and many have been known to boost competitiveness by hosting training sessions via in-filed scenarios. The futuristic technology can revolutionize how we work, collaborate, and create.

Another aspect of the modern workplace

A Microsoft office

is the BYOD — bring your own device. This allows workers to use their own laptops, smartphones, tablets, and virtual assistants so that they can have more comfort and freedom when doing their job. Moreover, it has been seen that employees work quicker when they use devices they are more familiar with. That means your smartphone and wearable gadgets are more than your playthings for home — they are becoming increasingly integrated into the office and can help you in presenting, making schedules, tracking your progress, responding to messages, and helping out with conferences.

With more downtime translating to more creativity to productivity, workplaces are going above and beyond to offer employees the kind of comfort they get at home to wind down. This means adding TVs, cushy sofas, saunas, and community spaces, right at the office. Think Google. The tech giant may have gotten there first, but there are many other companies that are following the same trend.

With the work and life divide becoming increasingly blurred, these break-out spaces will become extremely vital for your employees’ positive mental health. The perfect workplace will be full of unique gestures and idiosyncrasies that will make the workforce feel valued and cared for. And that’s exactly how it should be.