Ruling Workplace Designs

Workplace design trends follow the ever-changing work profile. Over the last 5 years or so, the work and worker profile have significantly changed, which has led to significant changes in the workplace design as well, we see this getting fortified. We foresee that the trend of a purely “cool looking” office space will fade away and we would see “people-centric” design of workplace which caters to their wellness, overall visual/sensory experience and functional needs. These aspects along with “Instagrammable” features of the office would help organizations build a strong bond with the employees. 

5 of the top workplace design trends that are currently ruling-

Utmost focus on ‘Wellness at workplace’ 

Work-life balance and burn-outs are emerging as the biggest concerns at the workplace; therefore it is now most important to bring out measures to counter these. Companies are moving away from purely functional spaces that prioritize productivity above everything else and are shifting focus to employees’ well-being. Some of the aspects that need to be dealt with  are: 

1. Air quality - with the drop in air quality across all metros, design of a centralized air purification system, for each office is a must. This not only obviates the use of multiple air purifiers across the floor but also provides for better control on the pollutants across the office. 
2. Lighting design - It is a well-known fact that light intensity and its color both impact alertness and fatigue. With advancements in lighting technology, it is possible to tune the indoor office lighting to follow the circadian rhythm. This along with maximization of natural light in the work environment, not only enables a person to concentrate better but more importantly feel less tired at the end of the day. 
3. Rejuvenation pockets - the creation of biophilic pockets in the office, enabling employees to break away from the work and rejuvenate their rhythm.  

Besides the design of the office, for this concept to succeed, it needs to be supplemented by the right mix of initiatives namely healthy meals, fitness activities/challenges and most importantly gamification of fitness routines. Such activities also create a feeling of togetherness and collaboration, resulting in a happy workplace boosting employee satisfaction and retention.

Work from home becoming an accepted norm, organizations wish to create an office which pulls people back to the office - “wellness” as a concept goes a long way to cater to that pull. 

Office design to meet the business objectives

If the workplace design is able to address any / some business problems that the organization faces, then it is a highly successful endeavor. While design thinking is gaining popularity in strategic decision making, it is possible to address some organizational business problems through office design. Although it requires extensive fact-finding through interviews and actual observation of people in their workplace, which needs an organizational commitment to the cause. Some of the common challenges that can be addressed through office design are:

1. Employee attraction/employee retention - while it is almost a certain outcome in most of the cases, it is best to carry out a pre and post analysis to understand the actual impact of the workplace design towards retention. 
2. Client engagement - if designed correctly (with thorough inputs from the business) it is possible to utilize the office design to increase the engagement with the clients and enhance their experience of your brand. 
3. Enhancing the employee experience and engagement - to create a more collaborative and problem-solving culture
4. Creation of a brand for the organization - brand ethos can come alive in the office environment thereby establishing/enhancing the brand experience. 
5. Productivity - through design of the office taking into consideration functional (stated/understood) needs and team adjacencies, is the most obvious outcome of workplace design.  

Use of Technology at the workplace to enhance the user experience

Technology plays a huge part in the workplace today as the workforce is particularly tech-savvy and can adapt to new technologies with ease. IoT and technology at large have revolutionized the way we live and hence the way we work. However, technology is expensive and is superseded quickly. Hence it is important that “use cases” of technology be thought through and be used to address the current problems of workflow and the workplace. As long as Technology is used to elevate the user experience and caters to their problems, it is always going to be beneficial to implement technology at the workplace. 

Today it is possible to give the power of control to every employee in the office to control his / her environment in the office space instead of creating a BMS room which is occupied by a technician. This enables an employee to change the lighting levels, remodel furniture, collapse walls to create a larger room, book a meeting room/workstation or change air conditioning temperature in the bay, etc from their computer/phone itself, instead of calling the facility management team or raising a ticket. This means that everything from the furniture to lights to wall systems to the copier is all interconnected through IoT, which has its pros and cons but the fact that it can be used to create and alter environment at the user level is exciting and holds a lot of promise in the near future. 

Needless to state that Technology enables more efficient use of the same set of resources within a workplace, thereby saving energy and resources at large. 

Another focus on technology is to enhance the visitor experience to your workplace, whether it is facing recognition based visitor management, indoor GPS to guide the visitor to the booked room or simply saving beverage preferences of the visitor for the next visit. 

Creating/supplementing the brand through office design

While advertising and marketing is the most effective way to build a brand and take it to the intended audience, business pressures may not permit the allocation of millions of dollars aside every year to build/enhance the brand. These pressures are stronger for startups where companies have to make money work even harder. 

It is an established fact that office design and branding go a long way in creating brand awareness for the employees and the visitors alike. Add the power of social media and marketing becomes not so inaccessible. 

Additionally, the office design can help build/supplement a strong culture for the firm. It is hence evident that if enough time is spent to understand the ethos of the firm and then manifest them into overall office design, they can yield some very strong tangible/emotional connects, which would help build a brand as it is envisaged by the founders. 

Office Aesthetics

Last but not least, interior design trends have to eventually translate to how the office looks. The trend still continues to blend hospitality and residential elements into office design which create a warmer “homely” feeling to the work environment. This breaks away from the clinical or “burst of color” look and feels of the offices which are more relatable to a larger employee base. 

As the work profile demands that organizations hire across the skill and age spectrum, it is hence important to create ageless designs which appeal to a larger audience. 

Office designs would continue to feature homely nooks, comfortable sofas, and soft carpets in controlled hues. Be it the earthy timber patterns on the walls and ceiling, the pillars covered in lush greenery or the stylish accent lamps in the phone booths, each corner has to be personalized, giving a joyous touch to the workspace. Essentially, the idea is to help users enjoy spending time in the office.