Only a few years ago, offices were more or less identical with people having individual cubicles, and managers believing that this reduced distractions and increased productivity. Over the last few years, this thought process has begun to shift significantly with the number of coworking spaces increasing and cubicles becoming a distant memory.
Employees are beginning to expect a much healthier and more pleasant working environment, which has instigated numerous changes within offices across the world. These changes are not something that can be ignored, but rather embraced or risk potentially losing talent to more forward thinking employers. Here are some of the innovative and creative ideas that are being developed in offices across the country.
Supportive Health And Fitness Programs
Companies are beginning to understand and embrace the benefits of fitness for their staff. They are either installing gyms within the building or creating strategic partnerships with local gyms that provide their staff with subsidized access. Companies have realized that healthy staff are more productive and less likely to take time off for being sick. Some companies have taken this a step further and now provide healthy snacks and other treats to their staff.
Open Plan Offices
In an almost total turnaround, companies are now utilizing the benefits of an open plan office system. This provides much greater opportunities for team working and encourages the sharing of resources and knowledge. In companies such as Google, they now provide bean bags, and other soft, comfortable furniture, as there is a growing acceptance that sitting at a desk is not necessarily suited to all styles of people, or indeed work. Even managers and leaders of large companies are demonstrating forward thinking leadership by embracing these ideas and forfeiting their plush offices.
Increased Mobile Technology
With the advent of coworking and the switch to commuting with a laptop, technology has had to keep up with the new style of offices. Some offices now have screens that can connect to a laptop wirelessly, fast and reliable broadband is now the norm, and there are even electronic systems in place to book meeting rooms or other spaces. Improved office technology should be used to its full advantage and is certainly going to be a decisive factor moving forward.
Satellite Offices
Perhaps one of the biggest changes in office culture is the switch to using coworking spaces. No longer do employees have to fight their way through tedious hours of traffic to attend one specific location. By embracing the coworking concept, many companies now have numerous locations across the nation. This enables companies to reach a wider job market and build a diverse team. Research suggests that when staff is put into a position of trust and allowed to work from home or in remote locations, they are significantly more productive.
At Novel Coworking, we have embraced and implemented many of these ideas and concepts in the design of our office spaces. Our aim is to ensure we have numerous locations across the city, with excellent technical facilities, in a spacious and welcoming environment. For all of your coworking needs, contact us today.