The modern workplace has been heavily influenced by millennial workers who prefer collaborative workspaces. This office design trend can be attributed to the tech world, like Google, for example, who favour shared, open spaces designed for specific tasks. Their employees are known for zooming around the office on scooters and sliding down fireman poles (and you thought your pinball machine and the occasional office chair race was cool). Office design is moving away from office housing and shifting towards office hoteling, but sit back and relax we’ll show you how to keep up with it all and ensure your office design is up to the task of attracting and retaining the modern worker.
The office of the future
According to Harry Bradford at Huffington Post, the future office will look less like the office we have grown accustomed to for years and will resemble your living room instead. In the post he mentions Steve Gale, the London head at M Moser Associates. He refers to the term ‘convivial workplace,’ which is an office that incorporates social interactions. If this trend keeps going on like this, the future office according to him will place importance on food, therefore it’s safe to assume your office could resemble a café soon enough or at least incorporate one, we’ll just have to wait and see.
What to pay attention to in the present
The office of today needs to provide a space where employees can work, eat and play together to create a lively atmosphere that boosts productivity. Business owners also need to keep in mind that their office design should serve to:
- Inspire your workforce
- Impress clients
- Show potential employees what you can offer them
- All while not appearing too flashy and distracting for potential investors
Employees crave engagement
“When workers socialise, they begin to swap ideas and develop a greater sense of shared purpose,” says Bradford. Modern day workers want more than just to arrive in the office and work, they want an experience. A great way to motivate them is to involve them when you redesign your office space. Ask them questions about what they would like to see more of in the office, after all it is them who has to use the equipment, accessories or office furnishings.
Cater to their needs
Employees are no longer restricted to working in the office, we are dealing with a mobile workforce that works anywhere, on an airplane, at a hotel, at client sites or at home, therefore, businesses need to provide their workforce with the technology and business processes that will leave them feeling comfortable no matter where they’re working from. It also means that businesses need sufficient space for employees who are visiting from another department or office building.
Due to the fact that today’s work environment is so unpredictable, a single, all-purpose workstation isn’t going to cut it. You need to provide a variety of workplace settings for designated areas like project rooms, resting areas, boardrooms and quiet individual work spaces.
Eliminate office glare
According to HOK, “Lighting is generally viewed as positive, except when it causes glare.” Insufficient natural light can have a detrimental effect on employee productivity. “The presence of ample daylight and windows, as well as opportunities for active and passive contact with nature, sensory change and variability, all have a positive impact on people’s well-being.”
The question is how do you achieve all of this with a single product? Window frosting is up to the task, it blocks out harmful light so say goodbye to glare and let in natural light. We also have a wide variety of nature-themed window frosting designs to choose from to help you bring the outside into your office.
Don’t forget to download our corporate guide and chat to us today so we can help you get your business right on trend.