Leesman recently published a study where 46% of the interviewed office occupiers state that the design of their workplace environments does not support productivity. This surprising result should unsettle office occupiers and workplace decision-makers. Workplaces will change as the working environment is more and more transforming into a knowledge-based economy, where human capital and technical innovation are thriving factors.
I want to take a look at current developments and trends specifically in bigger cities, that will have an impact on the future of workplaces. At the end I want to examine of how can we react on this.
1. Change of Workforce
According to a study conducted by CBRE, in 2015, 75% of the workforce in 2015 will be represented by the so called millennials, people born after the year 2000. This group will have specific needs. 70% of the interviewees said that they would accept certain trade-offs (e.g. little pay cuts, promotion prospects) for a great workspace. Surprisingly millennials favor personal offices — allowing privacy — over open-plan workspaces. They wish for a workplace environment that adapts to the needs of the people: with areas for collaborative work, private focused tasks, social/free time activities or even workspaces outside the office area. When they have the freedom of choice fitting to their own workstyle they are more likely to feel engaged for the company, the study found out.
2. Change of Workplace Structures and Workstyles
With the opening up of work structures such as freelance work or less
decision authority, the workspaces will also change: contract workers are no longer tightly bound to working hours and therefore need facilities which are open until late or on weekends. Furthermore workstyles also will have an impact on the design of workplaces: Offices no longer need to be rented permanently but are complemented by on-demand space.
The focus is shifting towards using spaces more efficiently. Research conducted by Steelcase and Microsoft found out that 42 percent of the interviewed office occupiers feel that there is a lack of privacy, well equipped conference rooms for collaboration and inspiring environments. Their research also proved that almost 46% of the workspace goes unused because of the high mobility of the workforce.
Therefore working spaces are increasingly conceptualised in a way that they can easily be adapted to diverse usage patterns. With shared workspaces for better collaboration, individual work, creativity, privacy and contemplation. Apart from serving different purposes workplaces are becoming a means for communicating corporate philosophy and company values. Providing great amenities and services can support positive experiences and thus attract professionals, indicates the study by Julie Wagner and Dan Watch.