It’s been quite a ride, this past year. Rocketing inflation, weaker trade, and increased political and economic global uncertainty has put tremendous pressure on organisations still reeling from the impact of COVID and its significant disruption (not just to the way we work, but to every aspect of home and work life).
But one positive to be drawn from the current situation is that we are seeing a lot of innovation to overcome adversity, and more ethical and people-centric thinking, which will certainly strengthen organisations and set them on a more sustainable path to success. And we don’t just mean sustainable in terms of protecting their brain trust and their workforce; sustainability in an environmental sense appears to be being taken even more seriously by an even greater range of organisations.
Nobody has a crystal ball that can tell us what the future holds, but we believe that broad experience and knowledge can offer the next best thing – informed insight. This is why we’ve put together our latest trend report, to outline the factors that we think will influence workspace design and specification over the next year or so, as the business sector endures what is widely considered to be its most challenging period in decades:
- The constant evolution of policies and practices
If there’s one constant in business at the moment, it’s change. Organisations of all types are finding they need to be agile, to adapt to changing market conditions and the shifting expectations of their employees, resulting in a need for constant re-evaluation and re-tailoring of workspace solutions to meet the latest version of business need.
- Human-centric space design
Whether it’s to encourage reluctant employees back into shared spaces, or to better support effective, efficient and productive working, a more thoughtful way of designing our workspaces is becoming the norm. And this logical approach looks set to stay for some time to come…
- Fostering talent for the future
Attracting the cream of the crop when recruiting for junior positions – and then retaining them – can be a big challenge. Workspaces have the power to make or break that first impression, especially since tech is proving an important differentiator for job-seeking digital natives choosing which offer to accept.
- One size does not fit all
Right-sizing is the buzzword in office space right now – it’s no longer a case of impressing with a huge square footage, but choosing a size that suits and making every square foot work harder. This approach also helps budgets work smarter, not harder.
- Cost- and carbon-cutting measures
Environmental sustainability is getting more focus than ever before – and the sharply rising cost of energy cannot be ignored, either. Savvy businesses are focusing on digitisation (saving on everything from paper and ink to business travel), and reducing energy wastage, to hit these dual objectives.
Click here to download our Trend Report 2023-2024, and find out more about the most interesting and influential shifts in attitude and behaviour, from individuals and organisations, which will impact the way we work over the coming few years
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