The Changing Nature of Office Design
By Anne Marie Ginn, Head of Video Collaboration, EMEA
Four years ago, the right to request flexible working became UK law. Since then, flexible working has become more prevalent, to the point that half of the UK workforce is predicted to work remotely by 2020. This year PWC introduced a ‘work when you want’ policy, giving new recruits the opportunity to choose their hours worked. This action was taken following a study the firm commissioned which found 46% of workers prioritise flexible working and a work-life balance when searching for a job. This huge shift in working culture has
also meant office design trends are changing. With more employees working remotely, businesses are finding new ways to utilise their office space to facilitate modern working practices, such as hot desking and video calls. While many people consider this sort
of setup to be part of start-up culture, we are increasingly seeing large enterprises embrace new-age office design. For example, UBS recently commissioned WeWork to redesign their New Jersey office, as the banking giant looks to move away from the usual aesthetic that financial institutions tend to adopt. London-based fund managers are also starting to move to more open, collaborative spaces to facilitate agile working, accompanied by music rooms and restaurants.
14 fmuk More companies are looking to redesign
their spaces, and so it’s important office managers are on top of trends and aware of the latest technologies that can help with any desired change in office layout.
The impact of technology on design
Advancements in technology and changing corporate cultures have helped the flexible working revolution. The advent of cloud technology means that workers can access
their files online from virtually anywhere, across all their devices. Collaboration software has made communication between employees effortless, even if they aren’t working in the same building. As a result, we are seeing more employees working away from the office, whether that be at home, a coffee shop, or on the road. Research from Gensler has shown
that in the average workplace individual workstations are only occupied 55% of
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