Five Office Trends That Will Continue Making Headlines In 2017

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Many companies are on the lookout for design trends that could make the office workspace better, improve the lifestyle of employees, enhance technological improvements, and increase productivity. Giants in corporate management such as Netflix, Google, and Facebook are termed as mentors to many companies. This is because the giant corporations use high-tech methodologies, design themes, and techno-savvy methods that make office work easy and enjoyable. 2017 is likely to have an array of design trends that will be the focus of many fashion aficionados.

1. More productivity through the use of smaller space

Many offices are looking into ways of organizing their workspaces. The common theme across companies is to maximise efficiency and increase productivity. 2017 has also experienced significant technological advancement. This has resulted in more compact  tablets and computing devices. Many offices will turn to efficient gadgets, including dual monitor arms to hold two devices or computers together. This will help office spaces, kitchens, and meeting rooms to save space, and allow work to be easier and more enjoyable. The benefits of this are not just ergonomics. Offices will have less clutter when managers implement other design solutions, such as small workstations with meeting pods and standing desks. Workspace privacy is enhanced when an employee uses a cubicle, whereas open working spaces cannot guarantee privacy in the office.

2. Designing themes and wellness

Some themes gain popularity over the years, such as ideas that encourage employee creativity and therefore increase productivity. 2017 is not an exception. Many companies are turning to designers to increase natural light in the office, get ideas that reduce office-related stress, and increase the fun in the work environment. Many sources, including The Guardian, promote the idea that a decently designed office both helps reduce stress levels, and rejuvenates and motivates staff. If a company has happy employees, they are more likely to be healthy employees, and staff turnover will be reduced. Also, many companies are embracing a green environment through the use of smart technology. An eco-friendly thermostat will positively enhance the brand of the business, and also be a long-term investment for the company.

3. Casual apparel

Forbes asserts that founders of great multinational companies such as Richard Branson have caused a revolution in the contemporary office environment. Many companies have follow their leads, and made their office workspace comfortable. They are slowly moving away from the traditional norms of formal attire, and embracing smart casual wear. This could cause a great increase in creativity and productivity, since employees are not tied to a formal dressing code and are free to relax. Large enterprises have implemented smart office designs, games rooms, as well as many changes have been brought in by technological advancements and millennials, such as work being accessed from remote areas.

4. Flashlight meetings

Companies are now turning towards short but productive meetings, and making them fun so that employees can air their views quickly, openly and with ease. Millennial companies such as Facebook have implemented the concept of Flashlight meetings to get new referrals and tap into new talent. According to Business Insider Australia, talent received from referrals is likely to generate more profit, and they will stay in the company. The thinking behind this is that the best employees in a company are likely to introduce other high-quality employees, who will also remain loyal to the business. This gives the employees freedom to choose the staff they want to work with, and also helps them make a decision about who is best suited to a certain job. This culture of hiring referrals is slowly moving into modern offices, and it is an excellent idea that will cause a great revolution in hiring system across the globe.

5. Team performance instead of individual performance

2017 will see priorities restructured by companies, as they seek to remove the burden of performance from a single employee and shift it to the entire team. Most millennials have been wired to perform in work environments which focus on competition and teamwork. To incorporate these millennials, many companies have changed their organizational designs to ensure there are functional structured teams which can adopt them. Many companies have come to terms with this reality as companies seek to ensure they retain their market share. This is an inevitable trend in 2017, and beyond that will cause many companies to focus on teams as opposed to individual brilliance as much as the latter is important in certain spheres.

6. Wires will disappear

The past years have seen computer workspaces cluttered with wires, printers, and other devices which expose employees to danger. In the current world, it is becoming increasingly necessary to remove clutter from workstations, and even more so in shared and open workstations. Companies are turning to office furniture with multimedia capabilities, chargers, and built-in adapters. They are looking into ways of concealing wires, and many developers are making computers that are more wireless than ever before.

7. The reinvention of the office desk

Many medics have revealed that sitting down all day long at work is detrimental to our health. Companies are most likely to see the invention of stand-sit desks that permit employees to change their sitting positions and adjust the height of their seat as they work. Some companies are focusing on work benches, community tables, stools, and bar-height tables that one can work from in a lounge.

8. Incorporating the outdoor into the indoor office space

In the current office environment, Mother Nature is a great co-worker. A large number of companies are increasingly bringing the outdoors, in. This is achieved through strategic integration of natural elements. We will see living walls, water and grass features, wood panel installations, and salvaged wood. Some offices are incorporating houseplants in their offices. A few companies who think ahead have introduced biophilic design ideologies that have commendably real, quantifiable benefits for human performance - such as emotional stability, stress suppression, and high productivity.

9. Workspaces are turning chameleonic

The contemporary office is undergoing an identity crisis. Benches are reducing cubicles, and the former is in turn being replaced by work areas that are not assigned to anyone. The office space can now be used by anyone who arrives first in the office or the ones that are not on leave. The former ‘my space’ is now known as ‘our space.’ This is a hot-desking policy where employees occupy space on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Employees’ attitudes are slowly shifting from personal workspace to community workspaces. There are designated lounge areas where employees can relax and drink coffee, eat lunch, and work on a group task. These lounge areas have free Wi-Fi, sofas, snacks, and power sockets.

2017 will likely experience highly productive office design trends that will help employees socialize even more at the workplace, and hence understand each other better. Productivity is poised to increase, and boredom is destined to reduce.

How do you make your office space enjoyable for yourself and your colleagues? Let us know in the comments section below.

Posted 17 July, 2017

Ruchi Bhargava

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