We live in a fast-paced world, and how we work and interact with each other seems to be in a constant state of flux. Businesses around the world are looking at ways to adapt their existing workflows and workspaces to meet these ever-changing needs.

In this article, we will look at the trending office workplace innovations which are currently driving creativity, innovation, and productivity and how these innovations can aid your business moving forward.

Collaborative Working Versus Remote Working

For many years, it seemed like remote working was going to become the standard. However, over the last couple of years, leading companies such as Apple, Google, and IBM have been getting their people back into the office.

It turns out that there is no substitute for real face-to-face collaborations, and these interactions provide opportunities for creativity and brainstorming.

Therefore, trends in office design have focused on creating spaces where employees can come together and discuss ideas in a relaxing environment. Taking a look at various websites will reveal office spaces that look more like coffee shops than traditional offices.

Green Offices

Biophilia has been a buzzword in office design over the past couple of years, and the movement towards ‘green’ offices doesn’t show any sign of letting up any time soon.

Simple changes have been found to have significant benefits regarding productivity, and businesses of all shapes and sizes have started looking at ways to bring the outdoors inside.

Adding plants as dividers, maximizing natural light, and using natural paints and materials help to create a light environment.

These changes help to improve the quality of air in the office and put your employees at ease instead of being stressed and tired like the employees you find in cramped, poorly lit, stuffy offices around the world.

Employee Well-Being Drives Productivity

The two changes mentioned above have been found to contribute to improved productivity and is a primary reason why companies are looking for innovative ways to improve office design.

Human interaction and employee well-being have been identified as critical drivers of creativity, and there has been a move towards removing barriers in the workplace and creating a homelier space.

Some companies have introduced dynamic spaces which can be adapted to fit the needs of a particular task, while others have focused on lifestyle approaches and integrated sofas, games rooms, coffee shops, and outside workspaces.

In all cases, they have been designed to get people moving around the office instead of spending hours stuck behind their desks.

A Changing World

While the importance of face-to-face interactions has driven changes in office design, the integration of technology has not been put on the back burner. In fact, technological changes are playing as important a role as ever, and innovations such as Visual Reality and Augmented Reality are likely to be pivotal in future developments.

We currently live in the data era, and many companies are looking at ways to integrate this data so that employees can more easily collaborate and access relevant documents.

Dropshare media systems, the use of artificial intelligence such as chatbots, and ‘virtual’ meetings are all appearing in the workplace and will require changes in office design as we move forward.