Businesses have long sought to increase ‘staff productivity.’ The meaning of this phrase, however, has changed throughout time.
Productivity now encompasses not just the amount but also the quality of production. It assesses how valuable the job is to the company.
It has been proved that, among other things, the office environment has a significant impact on employee morale and productivity. Employees must be able to operate in a variety of modes at work, including concentrating, learning, socializing, and cooperating with others.
Employees fail to complete these modes in the absence of a proper work environment and the finest equipment, lowering their productivity.
In order to create productive and engaging workplaces, technology has played a significant role. Workplaces are no longer only a collection of desks and seats.
We’re seeing a major change in how people think about their workplaces. This article will show how technology has changed and enhanced workplaces for the better.
1. Bring-your-own-desktop (BYOD) and desk management tools
Remote employment has become the standard for the last two years. Despite the fact that most businesses are returning to their offices, remote working is here to stay.
Employee expectations are becoming more flexible in the workplace. As a consequence, they rely on technology to enable their workers to work from home, the office, or coworking locations.
BYOD (bring your own device) is being used to encourage workers to utilize their own devices for work. Furthermore, managed service providers (MSPs) and desktop management technologies are used by firms with a big remote workforce.
2. Collaboration technologies that work
Collaboration tools are the heroes of our period, given that most firms are evolving toward a hybrid-remote work style. There hasn’t been a day since the epidemic struck when workers haven’t been using Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other conferencing tools.
Cloud technology is also becoming a cornerstone for distant businesses. Employees are storing vital data, utilizing software, accessing servers, and interacting with technologies on the cloud.
Secure file transmission, dashboard sharing, and other networking features are also available on these platforms.
As employees return to work, organizations are investing in conferencing technology and cloud collaborations that will enable them to communicate with on-site and distant workers. To support seamless communication and evolve into a hybrid workplace, offices are implementing such cutting-edge technology.
Video conferencing and cloud collaboration are two examples of technology that are already changing conventional workstations and allowing more room for creativity.
3. Innovations in touchless technology
Touchless technology is being used in most businesses to help with the present requirement for social separation without interfering with corporate operations. Gesture-based controls in technology enable personnel to operate systems by moving their hands in a certain direction or pattern.
This technology also provides security. Touchless verification, for example, is accomplished using proximity-based devices that automatically unlock when workers enter the workstation.
Other touchless security methods use face recognition, voice commands, and eye-tracking in a similar way.
4. Workplace sustainability and wellness
Businesses have become more aware of mental and physical wellness as a result of the epidemic. The way contemporary workstations are designed reflects this influence.
For example, a growing number of workplaces are using human-centric circadian lighting systems that mimic natural sunshine while also providing a pleasant working environment. Low bay lighting is a common choice for open workstations with low ceilings (between 12 and 20 feet).
Such cutting-edge lighting solutions provide the finest possible experiences for workers and the firm as a whole, resulting in increased productivity.
Businesses are also attempting to reduce their carbon footprint by using energy-efficient or carbon-neutral equipment and eliminating inefficient activities. Firms are investing in smart systems that exchange critical data about their green performance in order to achieve this. They use the knowledge gained to make environmentally sound choices.
Smart control sensors have elevated sustainability efforts to new heights. Some of these sensors can simply modify HVAC filtration and airflow, resulting in improved system comfort and operating efficiency.
A few more sensors monitor temperature, humidity, CO2, VOC, and sound levels, encouraging a caring and healthy culture.
Physical and mental health are still top considerations for workers and organizations, thus such technologies are essential. Businesses may develop workplaces that adapt fast and smoothly by using such technology.
5. Improved business management
Smart technology is assisting organizations in running more smoothly and effectively. Project management tools enable managers to better allocate, evaluate, and analyze tasks, resulting in increased output quantity and quality.
These smart solutions come with built-in capabilities that help firms plan projects effectively and manage resources and budgets. They may also notify teams when tasks deviate from the plan.
6. Spaces that are designed for a specific purpose
People demand their workplaces to reflect their own preferences, and technology is helping to facilitate this tendency. In the future, you may anticipate advancements to go hand in hand with the creation of work environments that are based on a lifestyle approach.
Employees may concentrate, interact, relax, or study in modern office environments that are divided into more purposely created zones.
Quiet zones, for example, are established in workplace areas to enable workers to concentrate on their job. Employees may catch up on casual collaboration sessions using concentration pods with brain-stimulating technology, digital whiteboards integrated in seats and tables, and more.
Take a look at Philips’s new transportable enclosed pod. It’s a self-contained office pod that’s simple to set up and move around.
Pods like this are just the tip of the iceberg. To enhance workplace productivity and employee experience, innovators in this field are aiming to implement technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), app-controlled meeting rooms, and holographic experiences.
These technology improvements will be crucial in bringing together major company emphasis areas such as productivity, sustainability, cost efficiency, employee happiness, and wellness.
Final thoughts
A growing number of company owners are on the lookout for workplaces that will help them increase their productivity and profitability. Technology plays a critical part in fostering a work environment that allows workers to focus, collaborate, and interact.
The information in this article will help you understand how contemporary workplaces are being shaped by technology advancements.
Thanks to Hazel Raoult at Business 2 Community whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.
