The rumours of the modern office’s death are premature. Times are changing, and nothing will survive the disturbances of 2020 intact. Offices will be around for a long time yet. However, the digital revolution has changed the playing field and centralization is no longer as important as it once was. Neither are business trips considered in the same light they used to be. It is possible these days to attend a conference while driving your kid to judo lessons. So, what will the modern office look like. Here are some suggestions.

  • No More Clocking In: Business can be happening anywhere, we carry the office in our pocket now, and there is virtually nowhere that we cannot be reached or cannot complete a task or receive communication from the boss. In fact, Offices can even be made redundant and there more and more virtual offices in Sydney and the rest of Australia. This is good and bad. Clocking out used to be the time of day you could leave the office behind, but now your boss can even reach you at 2 am at the pub, and you might not be at your best.
  • Open Plan Offices: For the introverts, there is nothing more intimidating that the concept of an open office. But the trend is there and expected to continue. The idea of the open concept is to drive creativity and employee interaction. For most workers, it seems to increase productivity and consistency as well as being an economic use of space. The downside of this is the fact that about 40% of office workers are stifled in an open office plan. To remedy this, companies are experimenting with private spaces.
  • Private Spaces: Everyone knows that there are things you will say in a group, and other things you will say one on one. Sometimes business requires a more intimate setting to get to the heart of a matter, or to provide the atmosphere for that brilliant employee to finally say what’s on her mind and reveal a game winning strategy. For this reason, employers have been experimenting with small meeting rooms, booths, and other versions of private spaces. Even phone booths. The idea is to create the best of both worlds, and to capitalize on the diversity of minds within the office.

Most people will agree that changes in the office are welcome if the atmosphere is conducive to the productivity and the creativity of the employees. The next decade will find more people happy to be heading to the office.