4 Things You Need to Know About the Changing Face of the Traditional Workplace

It’s time to accept that the digital economy is here to stay. And as organizations embrace this new reality there is an increased focus on offering products and services that ultimately deliver the type of experience today’s customers expect. Simply put, the new customer expects an interactive, highly customizable and total immersive experience.

Understandably, the digital economy’s impact goes well beyond how companies engage their customers and strategic partners. The transition to the digital economy is also dramatically changing the face of the traditional workplace as well.

Impact of Evolving Digital Technology

Technology undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in every facet of the digital economy. The evolving digital technology takes on various forms within the workplace – often combining to yield smart office environments. Some examples include:

Collaboration capabilities. The ongoing advances in video conferencing technology are a prime example. Far beyond enabling video calls, today’s solutions offer team members comprehensive collaboration tools including real time asset sharing, smart presence/recognition capabilities as well as the ability to seamlessly initiate meetings from within productivity apps they use as part of their daily routines.

Video walls. Data is king in today’s economy – primarily because of the ability to provide business users with visual insights into trends as well as ongoing issues. When organizations combine this data with high definition video walls, it empowers teams with access to an instant real time dashboard of meaningful content. How organizations utilize a video wall can be as unique as the company itself.

Mobile integration: The smart phones most professionals carry today serve as a phenomenal tool to enable team members to fully customize how they interact with data and others company wide. Mobile phone recognition, for instance, can dynamically change video wall content as an engineering director enters a room.

Having a technology master plan can play a pivotal role in ensuring that your organization is effectively utilizing its investments.

Impact of Millennials

Gen Y – more commonly known as Millennials – are in many ways fueling the dramatic move towards both mobile and flexible environments. As Gen Z makes its presence known, this trend will only intensify. After all, the vast majority within this younger generation count their smart phone or tablet as their primary or only computer.

As Millennials fully take the reigns, the mantra of working from anywhere, at any time using any device has progressively become a reality. As a result, organizations need to find ways to not only accommodate flexible work environments – i.e. office spaces that can easily transition to accommodate a semi-transient workforce.

Millennials have also ushered in the move towards open and highly configurable spaces. The idea of a rigid office space does little to motivate this group of professionals.

Traditional Conference Room/Boardroom

Following the digital trend, the traditional conference room and boardroom are undergoing a technology infused evolution. Often serving as formal spaces to meet with extended groups (i.e. strategic partners and customers), these larger meeting spaces now require seamless access to smart technologies.

Projectors, smart boards, interactive displays, video walls, video conferencing capabilities and the ability for anyone using the room to wirelessly interact/engage are the new norms.

Why Meeting Room Designs Are Changing

With many workers now embracing flexible work schedules, and offices transitioning towards open configurations, the vast majority of meetings are now impromptu and far more collaborative. As a result, large and formal spaces, like boardrooms or conference rooms, no longer fit the bill.

Fortunately, well-designed huddle rooms are a solid solution. By design, these spaces accommodate small groups (often less than 5) with just right amount of technology to encourage team members to collaborate.

Need help evolving your workplace? With 55+ years of experience designing and deployment spaces that deliver smart and immersive experiences, Electrosonic has the expertise you need to get it right. Click here to learn more.