-
Create Smarter Working Offices
‘Work smart, not hard’ is an office catch-phrase that is increasingly relevant when it comes to the health and well-being of employees, not to mention the health and well-being of the company or business that employs them. But what is smart working and where does office furniture fit into the picture?
WHAT IS IT?
According to The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Europe’s largest HR and development professional body, smart working involves making a change from the old-fashioned “command and control” tactics of management towards “a greater degree of freedom, flexibility and collaboration.”
This necessitates a fundamentally different approach to work that optimises the working environment and conditions in order to maximise the output of employees. Driven by flexible working hours, better technology such as Web 2.0, Skype and mobile capabilities, and a fresh approach to office furniture and design, smart working can have a real impact on the effectiveness of an organisation.
WHO BENEFITS FROM IT?
Removed from the old-fashioned working life, in which work took place at a central location and involved long commutes, long, inflexible hours and a stifling office atmosphere, smart workers can flourish, enjoying a better work/life balance and a more productive and healthy attitude to work.
But it’s not just the employees who benefit from smart working practices. “Smart working practices enable businesses to make property cost savings, which is welcome in the present period of austerity, and which can enable personnel reductions to be minimised,” says Oliver Fursdon, Associate at Savills, the property consultancy, who adds: “More effective use of work space is particularly appealing to public sector organisations as it enables them to comply with Central Government-imposed efficiency targets.”
WHO IS DOING IT?
With these advantages in mind, business leaders and institutions are embracing smart working. Google’s new office near London’s Victoria Station is one example of the kind of responsive office environment that fits smart working ideals. Designed by Scott Brownrigg Interior Design, it features various breakout spaces around the office where members of the 300 staff can go and work on their lap tops. The space is furnished with a range of loose furniture from Knoll, Hitch Mylius and Arper and informal meeting rooms in the style of ‘beach huts’ create a relaxed vibe. In addition, there is office desks space for all staff, which are arranged in clusters of six and eight to promote communication and collaboration – key tenets of the smart working ethos.
English Heritage is another that has adopted a more modern environment in order to facilitate smart working. Designed by flexibile working specialists, Peoplespace, the new English Heritage office features dual purpose hot desking and team meeting areas, new high density space-efficient storage, personal mobile storage units, a library reference zone and breakout meeting areas, a rationalization of printers, copiers and other equipment in a centralised ‘hub,’ and a mix of old and new existing office furniture. In doing this, English Heritage has consolidated two floors into one, while serving the same number of staff and saving itself an estimated £1 million in five years.
Smart working makes the most of the modern technology that allows us to work anywhere, creates a more intuitive and responsive office environment with better, more adaptable office furniture and encourages us to adopt more healthy working practices that meet the needs of both employer and employee. Smart working, in short, is the future.
Related Posts
- Efficiency in the office with furniture planning
What does the modern office environment demand? The modern day office has transformed and is still transforming as we go about our daily lives. With technology advancing in communications such as mobile devices and the internet – the office environment has become a place where groups of people meet to exchange information, and work together [...]
- How to Reduce Noise With Acoustic Office Furniture
The days of over-crowded, echoing offices are coming to end as office furniture manufacturers develop innovative acoustic furniture architecture. These acoustic office products help the masking of sounds, reducing the noise within the office, resulting in higher concentration levels and increased productivity. Furniture manufacturers have also integrated technology to help create private and social meeting spaces within the open-plan office.
- Efficiency in the office with furniture planning
{1 comments}
-
Liberty left on July 7, 2011
You got to push this essential info! Great advice, thanks.
