The global corporate office environment is perhaps evolving with the changing demands of both users and the industry. The Millennials are the new user groups and dynamic spaces are the key focus areas for corporate offices.
This generation wants a career that offers a sense of purpose and contributes to the greater good. Given this reality, workplaces are designed considering how the infrastructure can embody these goals and how they can visually be represented in the space.
We are witnessing new trends taking over traditional offices, like bringing the outdoor indoors; sharing the workspace with other companies, the cubicles are fading away and are being increasingly replaced by non-assigned seating, thereby increasing the percentage of collaborative spaces. New office furniture is being experimented that allow flexibility in sitting with more lounge furniture and more informality being induced.
In an age of open innovation, employers are keen to see their best and brightest work more closely with clients and customers. That means promoting a more permeable relationship within the companies–either by enabling public thoroughfares through office buildings, providing public facilities such as art galleries or creating workspace within mixed use developments or landmark civic buildings.
Table of Contents
NEW WORKSPACE TRENDS
Open Desks
With no fixed seats allotted to individual employees, open desking or hot desking are supplanting singular workstations as a trendsetter that is being adopted even by conventional workplaces. Organisations are also motivating top management to go for such open spaces for better collaboration with their teams.
Casual Meeting Booths
Gone are the days when meetings were held privately in the assigned meeting rooms. Today, semi-encased meeting booths are on rise with comfortable couch seats for a speedy one-on-one or group discussions.
A “Third Place”
Amid the most recent years, work has turned out to be drastically intense and the business errands today are all the more difficult. Consequently, employees require spaces where they can relax or work undisturbed. Companies are adopting the idea of Third Place – a casual working space like a cafeteria or lounge that assist employees to get past the day or enable them to have get togethers, or to have group discussions.
Technology
Technology is a core point in the work environment. With constant developments in eco-friendly technology, solar and wind are being considered for development in organisational campuses at an affordable price. Workplaces are doing their bit towards creating a greener environment by bridling sustainable power sources (solar and wind) on or off campus.
BENEFITS OF NEW AGE WORKSPACE
Empowering Knowledge
There is a developing accentuation on “Empowering Knowledge†in workplaces, rather than process work which is progressively sent seaward or took care of by voice-recognition softwares, is a result of applying prior knowledge and learning, and barely depends on the process. The new working practices are based on collaboration and exploration where there is no emphasis on individuals sitting in a supervised hierarchical positions in office settings.
Productive and Congenial Work Atmosphere
Open office environment is progressively being utilised by organisations to enable workers to associate with each other making a warm domain in the long run enhancing the overall work efficiency. Additionally, open office seating is taken to higher level by evacuating all screens and partitions to empower communication and cooperation.
Peer Group Motivation
The management require inspiration and motivation, apart from the employees. Both managers and employees get a chance to meet as well as witness peers working in their surroundings, confronting challenges, growth or sometimes even pitfalls. One need not generally give a discourse to others or see an overwhelming applause to receive motivation. Sometimes being in positive surroundings acts as a natural source of motivation.
Hassle-free Administration
The fact isn’t whether you are fit for solving difficult circumstances or issues. It’s about, regardless of whether you can give your time admirably into what you ought to do, versus what can be helpfully outsourced. Some collaborating workplaces have tie ups with legislative advisors who are authorities in start up operations, as well as facilitate such administrations as a general practice.
Fun & Energy filled Vibes
In the wake of everything, what is as yet missing in a traditional workplace? Fun, Energy and positive vibes. The fact is that the new age offices provide a platform for fresh start-ups working under one roof, and at times, some companies exceed the space to wind up being more successful, there is an ever-exhibit optimism. The positive energy that builds with taking an interest in office events and building rapport guarantees you get your bit of fun and chuckles from time-to-time.
Most industrial office design is also deficient in responding to the need for contemplation space-areas within the workplace for knowledge workers to switch off, relax, rest, recuperate and be alone with their thoughts. New workspaces are emerging for the new economy-even if the old ones make evocative viewing.
Image source: IndustriousOffice