The Office of the Future

A recent trend in office furniture incorporates more ergonomic-friendly design. While this approach is certainly here to stay, many employers are experimenting with other workplace innovations. As companies strive to enhance employee satisfaction, keep workers happy, and boost productivity, the office of the future will take on a whole new look.

Smart ID cards

Don't expect companies to relax their security procedures anytime soon. To make things more efficient, identification cards and badges will do more than just enhance security; they'll serve as electronic sensors to increase the comfort and convenience of monitoring an employee's whereabouts. These smart ID cards will also respond instantly to a person's movements by setting lighting and temperature levels based on their defined preferences, alerting co-workers of their availability, or automatically signing them into and out of networks and other systems.

Sit-stand workstations

Since no one scrimps on the hours they put in at the office, expect office furniture to become more user-friendly. Part of its flexible design will allow workers to move around while they're working. A unique invention, called a sit-stand, may soon make its way into office environments. These devices allow workers to go from a sitting position to a standing one by letting them elevate their entire desk surface with them.

Built-in relaxation

Resting the body refreshes the mind, sparking creativity and boosting efficiency. The office furniture of the future is likely to include built-in alerts that remind employees to relax at regular intervals. Some of the emerging ideas include keyboards that automatically lock after a certain number of keystrokes (forcing workers to rest their hands), a mouse that begins playing soothing music after a specified number of clicks, and software that prompts workers to close their eyes and take deep cleansing breaths or conduct stretching exercises two or three times each day.

Exercise and fitness

Over the past decade, on-site gyms have become popular at large organizations. But, what if employees could reap the benefits of physical fitness while they worked, exercising throughout the day, instead of only on their scheduled breaks? Office furniture combined with fitness apparatus – such as treadmills equipped with laptops, or desks with weights attached – could make their way into the workplace in the future, as companies look for ways to help workers minimize stress and stay focused throughout the day.

While it's difficult to determine what future trends will actually make their way into the workplace, offices will certainly evolve as capabilities evolve. Considering the growth of virtual employment, companies will have to invest even more in their employees to keep them in the office. Who wouldn't want to work in an office where you controlled your own lighting and temperature, listened to soothing music, and had your own workout space?

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