Following the Covid-19 crisis, attitudes towards work have changed. As a result, businesses are under increasing pressure to rethink how they operate. As workplaces continue to get to grips with life after lockdown, 85% of working adults want to use a hybrid approach of both home and office working.
We’ve previously discussed what makes a smarter office. Now we look to the future and ask how businesses will adapt and what does the future of smart offices look like?
User experience
The office has to be a destination people want to come to. Many people have got used to the comfort of working from home. What is your office offering that makes the commute worth it? As a business, if you want to attract and retain the best people, you need to ensure your office is somewhere people want to be.
Smart devices can be used to monitor and control the working environment making it an overall better experience for your people. Analytics can be used to further customise the office experience. Just as shopping centres are increasingly thinking about how to become experiences people will choose over shopping online, businesses are doing the same with office space.
Wellbeing and safety
The pandemic has put an increased focus on employee health and wellbeing. In response, the majority of businesses are taking steps to support their people. Implementing the right smart technology can help support these efforts.
Environmental monitoring can help reduce the spread of Covid-19 and other airborne viruses. Using smart ID tags can track occupancy to help make sure your office space isn’t over capacity.
Smart meeting rooms
70% of SMEs would rather have a video conference than travel to meetings. With virtual meetings becoming an everyday fixture of remote working, tools like Zoom will continue to be utilised beyond the pandemic.
Smart meeting rooms are becoming essential to the future of smart offices. Whether your business works from multiple offices or you’re taking the hybrid approach to office and remote working; there’s benefits to be had by implementing smart meeting rooms.
Productivity prioritised
With more offices using smart technology to control the office environment – the temperature of meeting rooms, air quality, and more – employee preferences can be identified and can even become automatic.
When your employees are working in a space they’re comfortable in, productivity will rise. Every aspect of a smart office lends itself to increased productivity.
The future of the office
There’s no doubt the pandemic has changed many aspects of how businesses operate and how offices will look in the future. Employee expectations will provide an opportunity to adapt smart technology that can help employees work smarter, not harder. Smart technology provides businesses with the chance to increase productivity and efficiency while keeping employees happy and safe.
Whatever the future brings for office spaces, AFP Digital will be there to support your business. Ready to find out more about our current smart office solutions? Get in touch with us today.