Technology in the Workplace
Today’s workplace is being redefined. The days of an office with an executive sitting behind a desk and the administrative help sitting desk bound right outside the office in a cubicle are numbered. Today executives are rethinking the workplace with an eye towards productivity and creative thinking. There is a trend towards inspirational environment that seems to be catching on in today’s offices.
Realizing that different types of work can best be accommodated by varying types of environs, designers are placing more emphasis on work results than traditional work place amenities. According to one Seattle executive “ There’s a recognition that we work in different modes, and we’ve designed spaces to accommodate them”. She goes on to say that the key to successful workplace design is to understand the business, and understand what the employees need to do their best work.
Research has shown that daylight is essential in designing a good workplace. The more sunlight the better according to key architectural firms that specialize in designing workplaces. Because of financial restraints, it is sometimes necessary to house many workers in close confines to reduce overhead. However, it has been found that this can enhance rather than detract from employee effectiveness. This closeness begets communication and openness. Chance encounters yield creative energy and mobility is essential.
With today’s younger workforce, these adaptions are much easier realized as the norm rather than characterized as an invasion of privacy. Designers have realized that there must be shared spaces offering nooks and crannies for private conversations and independent thinking. Escape pods are a must if the overall workplace is quite populated.
Technology has changed the way we work. It has changed the focus of our efforts. Now it is changing the environment in which we spend our working lives.