The Workplace of the Future
The workplaces of the future that attract the best talent will be high-tech, wellness-centered and all about the experience.
Workplace Wellness
Real-time integrated wellness measurements and preventative health interfaces will become a standard part of the built environment, enabling better understanding of one’s own health and behaviors, as well as measurements that enable design improvements that impact individual health outcomes.
Experience is King
Work can happen anywhere so the workplace needs to be somewhere special. Even today, the workplace is moving away from a place to do work and into a place where employees can access resources unavailable from a VPN connection and that allow them to collaborate in creative ways. Offices will draw on trends from other industries, especially hospitality and retail, to give employees that sought-after experience.
Work can happen anywhere
so the workplace needs to be
somewhere special.
Tectonic Tech
In the nearer term, technology will become a great equalizer for businesses by allowing smaller companies to connect and collaborate in ways that previously only large companies could afford. It will enable the flexibility required by the next generation of workers while offering meaningful cost savings to organizations of all sizes. And, as research and testing increases, programming improves and the cost of designing and manufacturing highly tailored robots decreases, robots and AI will take a more central role in the workforce.
Craving Connections
In the workplace of the future, the Internet of Things will be more aptly described as the Internet of Everything, and more elements of the building will be connected for data collection. Sensors and analytics will take workplace surveys to the next level, allowing facilities managers and even employees to see their habits and make changes to themselves or their workspace. In the upcoming ten years, we will see not only mobile devices, but also wearable technology, integrated with building automation systems. Spaces will sense us and immediately provide preferred settings and relevant information, allowing us to move beyond tech connections to focus on the best possible human connections.
It’s all about me
Choice and control will dominate. As the workplace becomes a place where people have to choose to be, companies will prioritize personalization to attract new talent and maintain current employees. Big data will enable continuously adaptable environments that customize themselves to suit individual needs, offering the ultimate control over the work environment. Flexible furniture and room configurations will allow offices to adapt to changing needs and enable peak productivity across a highly diverse population.
This means inclusive design,
flexible work schedules,
and office environments that offer control over how and
where work is completed. As time goes on, these choices will
become increasingly personalized and increasingly automated.
Safety First
As more and more data is captured and transmitted electronically, cybersecurity will get a lot more complicated and even more important. Everything from the way devices are allocated and controlled to the way tech infrastructure works will evolve to prevent security breaches.
Small Wonder
Robots and virtual humans do not need to be protected from fire, and since they are connected to the cloud, damage to the physical space will not impact stored information. In areas where humans and robots intermingle, building codes will change to accommodate more users. And because robots and virtual people don’t breathe, onsite air handling requirements will be different. The advanced technology required to power these environments will change energy requirements and temperature control.
