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Home / Designing The Modern Workplace
The workforce is changing rapidly due to modern technologies, and employers are shaping workplace design to adjust to the increasingly blurred lines between work and home life.
From social spaces with café-style character to residential-inspired settings, contemporary workplaces are beginning to integrate choice, social interaction and professional identity – three important considerations for today’s workers. In this month’s news aggregate, we explore these three key trends influencing modern workplace design.
Culture of Choice:
As firms enter a period – for the first time ever – of coordinating five generations in the workplace, fostering a culture of choice and flexibility has never been more paramount. Rather than the traditional hierarchal structure dictated by isolated, closed office spaces, flexible areas that encourage communication across teams and allow for privacy are becoming more essential to accommodate the expectations of diverse age groups.
The “one size fits all” mentality is no longer primary as firms seek to meet the needs of a dynamic, mobile workforce. Globe St discusses the modern workplace as an “experience place” that enables several types of work, and companies are holding employee focus groups to determine how and where they work best. Melissa Hanley, principal and CEO of Design Blitz, echoes this sentiment of employee-focused design: “[Our] job isn’t to create culture…it’s to foster what’s already there.”
Social & Collaborative Opportunities:
Along with choice and flexibility, the need for settings designed with collaboration in mind is also prevalent for today’s workers; Workplace Insight discusses research highlighting a strong preference among Gen Z and millennials for collaborative work environments.
As multi-purpose spaces designed with collaboration and social interaction in mind become more desirable, a change in the public mindset is evident. Gensler On Work explores a societal shift from a consumer to a maker mentality as people seek a greater level of control over their workplace experience. Further, Gensler’s U.S. Workplace Survey suggests the most innovative companies spend more time on collaboration, learning and socializing.
Deeper Connections to the Office:
The role of the workplace in establishing deeper connections to the office is becoming more significant due to the influx of remote work. Interior Architects highlights the need for a strong place identity that employees can identify with, while Gensler On Work explores the ways in which forward-thinking tech companies are offering polished, personalized spaces that provide workers with a feeling of professional identity.
Firms are realizing the value of employees that feel connected to the workplace: Facility Executive considers the benefits of workers that feel a sense of belonging, emphasizing higher engagement and greater work toward achieving the organization’s goals.
With this notion in mind, modern workplaces should seek to align—and seamlessly merge—their brand identity with the culture of the employees when designing the office space.
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