Creating a workplace that attracts employees while preserving productivity and efficiency can be challenging, especially at a time when the workforce has realized fully remote operations are a possibility.
With work now taking place in a digital rather than physical space, workplace technologies and personal devices are becoming key tools in drawing employees back to the office and ensuring safety and wellbeing.
Many firms are taking a holistic approach in integrating workplace technology, ensuring that it contributes to an environment that is collaborative, safe, effective, and equipped for the future. Key technology integrations that appeal to employees returning to the office include:
Provide Seamless Video Conferencing Resources
Video conferencing won’t become obsolete once you return to work, even if your organization is 100% in-office. Many companies are still remote or practicing a hybrid work model, which keeps them from visiting your facility for in-person meetings. Space and technology designated for video conferencing are necessary for any workplace moving forward.
Workplace video conferencing capabilities support all work models by offering seamless communication for those in the office, home, or coworking elsewhere. By mirroring the work-from-home experience and providing the same video conferencing software across devices, technical difficulties are minimized which improves employee communication.
Enable Bring-Your-Own-Device Integration
The past two years have led to more technology enablement than ever before. As a result, personal mobile devices will become more integrated into the workplace experience. Besides being used for communication, personal devices will connect to smart systems built into the workplace, minimizing shared touch points, improving employee wellbeing, and maximizing productivity.
Smart system and personal device integrations will include basic processes to manage schedules, reserve rooms or desks, order food for meetings, and prepare materials to share across screens. Smartphones and workplace software integrations also offer capabilities such as granting access into a building, activating and unlocking equipment, checking parking availability, and navigation within and across facilities.
Holistic organizations are also considering utilizing personal devices to implement wellbeing checks on employees. These wellbeing checks will appear in the form of notifications for stretching, reminders for mental breaks, and programming to notify staffers of employee illness.
Monitor Employee Wellness in Workplace Environments
In addition to personal devices improving employee wellness, smart systems can monitor employees’ physical environment. Sensors that measure data for temperature, humidity, CO2, VOC, and sound levels within a space display data on a monitor outside of the room for review before entering.
Remote technology can control HVAC filtration and airflow in work areas, improving employee comfort. Lighting that mimics natural light patterns regulate employees’ circadian rhythms, improving their mental stamina and productivity. A facility that can respond to employee wellness needs will be an essential element in workplaces moving forward.
Leverage Space Usage and Facility Sustainability Programs
Smart systems can gather information on space performance and usage, informing company decisions for future space planning. In these space analysis systems, sensory data is collected in work areas and displayed in real-time. From the number of people in the space to the duration and technology used, this data can be stored and analyzed to determine space effectiveness.
Measuring space usage and employee interaction is critical in determining workplace efficiency. Monitoring these elements is necessary for making effective decisions regarding workplace sustainability in the future, especially in a hybrid work approach. These technologies will help identify areas of improvement for facilities during this time of workplace upheaval.
With employers considering new ways to navigate the workplace, integrated technology solutions are more important now than ever before. A workplace that invests in employees’ needs and enables individual productivity will attract workers back to the office or a hybrid approach. The workplace of the future will inevitably be driven by people and fueled by technology.
Source:
The Role of Technology in the Workplace of the Future, Bayern and Yamaguchi
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