The typical office has changed significantly in the past decade. What used to be standard – a workstation with a desktop computer, a conference room with a TV or a projector, a staff lounge with a few lunch tables – is now sorely outdated.
The modern office is constantly evolving, and it can be challenging to keep up. Companies must look ahead and anticipate how and where the business will be in a few years’ time. It’s a good start to plan a workspace with flexibility and room for growth, but it’s not enough. The new successful office is one that can operate on the go – whether employees are switching between different work areas at headquarters, or working remotely from home or on a business trip.
Build Mobility into Your Office
A majority of U.S. offices now feature open floor plans, breaking away from the cubicle model and allowing employees more freedom of movement than ever before. From huddle spaces and conference rooms, to quiet work areas and phone booths, many of these new workspaces depend on network access and mobile devices to function. Employees may not need to spend much time at a dedicated workstation if they can pick up their tablet or laptop and plug in at different stations within the office.
Since technology is changing so rapidly, it’s essential to keep long-term capabilities in mind. Prioritize connectivity and adaptability in your spaces; instead of investing a big budget in large furniture systems that may be out of date in a couple years, look to incorporate plug-and-play stations that will work for current and future devices.
Take the Office on the Road
The workplace is no longer just within the four walls of the office. With smartphones, virtual private networks, cloud storage, and web conferencing, employees can stay connected from wherever they are. Many companies offer employees the option of working remotely, whether full-time or occasionally, and this shift changes the way an office operates. The remote workforce has increased the demand on IT, while also bringing popularity to office hoteling and desk sharing concepts. This has decreased the need for large, individual workstations as well as dedicated paper storage space, reducing the square foot per employee ratio significantly.
The modern workplace is becoming more versatile and mobile every year; how is your office keeping up?
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