Being aware now of some of the key trends that will be affecting our workplaces over the coming years will help to ensure the longevity of any workplace re-design
All commercial organisations will face growing pressure from shareholders to reduce costs while adding value to their processes. Increased competition will also mean cutting time to market, while producing ever more innovative products and services. These business pressures will force an acute focus on how property is used and how people are organised within space.
A rapidly ageing population (50% of European adults will be over the age of 50 by 2020) will see growing numbers of the over-50s remaining in the workplace for an extended time. Disability and age discrimination legislation will give them more protection. Their experience will be essential but they will expect work environments to cater for their needs. Governments may also raise the retirement age to reduce benefit costs in the face of the pension shortfall.
Employees will increasingly campaign for new solutions on issues related to work-life balance, stress and overwork, and the breakdown of family units. This will force employers to rethink their work environments to support more flexible, humane and comfortable patterns of work.
Rapid introduction of low-cost mobile communication and information technologies will make people less place-dependent and encourage use of the office in more random and imaginative ways. Within office space, wire-free technologies will free up work areas to be designed with a more domestic and leisure-oriented vocabulary.
Office buildings that are wasteful of energy and resources are some of the worst culprits in terms of the effect on the environment. A major drive is now towards greater sustainability. Expect any workplace project to address a range of green issues from incentives to cycle to work to low-energy light lighting and paper recyling. Rising up the agenda is a return of the focus on efficiency of space utilisation so that companies can reduce their property footprint - and their carbon emissions at the same time.