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The line between one’s social, home, and work life is becoming less and less evident these days. As such, the workplace is experiencing a makeover of sorts. It’s becoming a more holistic place – a place people actually enjoy going to every day.
The office trends of 2019 are all about attracting the kind of talent your company deserves and here are a few of the most popular.
1. Serviced Offices
For many reasons, serviced offices are all the rage in the corporate world. From start-up businesses to company expansions and more, serviced offices fill a need that’s existed since the beginning of time.
Outfitted with everything a business might need without the commitment associated with traditional office rental, serviced offices are quickly becoming a must-have for many small and large companies alike.
2. Walls and Dividers
Traditional walls and cubicle dividers are a thing of the past in the 2019 workplace. While the cubicle goes by way of the 8-track, walls are becoming more nature-inspired and ergonomic. For example, in a newly remodeled office building, you might find not walls, but rather bamboo partitions with shrubbery and possibly even acoustic panels.
3. Biophilic Office Design
A biophilic office design uses natural finishes and textures. The trend features unusual material combinations such as metal, stone, wood, and textiles to create a minimalistic yet natural feel in the workplace. Keep your eyes open for this trend as it will find its way into more and more offices this year.
4. More Flexibility
Today’s workplace is an unpredictable one. Technology makes it easier than ever to take work anywhere, and offices need to accommodate every activity of the day. From formal and not-so-formal meeting areas to project rooms and individual workspaces, workplace designs continue to follow the open-office concept, with inclusions like furniture on wheels allowing the space to adapt to different requirements.
Other trends in flexibility include laptops instead of desktops, an abundance of electrical outlets for charging, video conferencing technology, smart boards, and adjustable height desks that allow sitting and standing.
5. More Windows and Natural Lighting
Studies show that more natural lighting in the workplace leads to less absenteeism and higher productivity. As such, 2019 office designs will include more windows and more natural lighting sources to improve employee well-being.
6. Disable-Friendly Workplaces
There’s a movement happening this year to make the office an all-inclusive and more disabled-friendly place. By installing such assistive technologies as color-coded keyboards, and sign language and speech recognition apps, the office of today enables people of all capabilities to do their jobs. Other necessities found in all-inclusive offices include:
- Disabled-friendly parking
- Larger doorways for wheelchair access
- Wheelchair ramps at all entryways and exits including cafeterias
- Large hallways and easy-to-access workstations
- Elevators in multi-level buildings
- Braille on buttons in elevators
- Easily-accessible restrooms
7. Advanced Technology in the Workplace
The latest technologies aren’t a new thing in the workplace, but how we use them is. Beyond advanced equipment and software that provides nearly limitless connections all over the world, virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri are lending a hand as well. From answering our questions and making to-do lists to making phone calls, scheduling meetings and more, these virtual assistants are driving company success in 2019.
It appears that the office of 2019 focuses on the employee well-being in addition to a company’s bottom line. With business owners realizing that it pays to take care of their employees, the office trends of the year are more important than ever.