April 30, 2018 by

Design News You Can Use—Coworking, Remote and Balance Edition

Looking for a major dose of news you can use? In this edition of Design News You Can Use, Workplace Strategist Joelle Jach explores the variables employees and companies are running into as remote workers increase, flexibility is needed and convenience factors.

Things and stuff: The open office can be a great place for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, but it doesn’t give us any place to put our stuff. Even if you’re a minimalist, everyone’s got stuff – and not being able to store it can make the open office less inviting.

Our house: One of the benefits of city living is having everything right at your fingertips (or at least within walking distance). A new London co-living concept features space for living, working and socializing, bringing the joys of city living even closer.

Play no games: Technology companies are known for playful workplaces, filled with beanbag chairs, Ping-Pong tables, scooters and more. However, tech companies are embracing more grown-up elements and targeting collaboration over goofy play.

Kidding around: We’ve heard about coworking spaces that offer just about every amenity under the sun. Beyond fitness, food and places of worship, there’s one that’s missing: childcare. While it’d be a win for working parents, it’s a challenge for coworking spaces.

The real deal: When choosing a new office space, photos never seem to do the trick. Since it’s not always easy to get there, JLL has begun providing virtual tenant tours to help companies experience the space from wherever they are.

Help me out here: If the thought of robots entering the workforce scares you, consider this: what if your robot coworker could actually help you? The next big thing is software robots, programmed to carry out mundane workplace tasks and save us time and headaches.

Home rule: Working from home can be nice, but do we really get anything done when our office is the couch? A new study examined in-office and work-from-home employees to find a productivity boost for those remote workers.

Everyone’s doing it: Coworking has enjoyed a steady growth in popularity over the last few years. Experts predict sustained interest in coworking’s flexibility and community, providing more options than a standard workplace.

Needs work: There are some things every workspace should provide – lighting, acoustics and maybe a place to sit. Beyond standard fit-out, creating a workplace that works may lie in psychology – personality types may hold the key to worker preferences.

Privacy please: The open office experiences plenty of backlash as employees experience a lack of visual and acoustic privacy. While the totally-enclosed office isn’t likely to make a comeback, it’s worth considering a balance of private and open spaces in office design.