What Does The Office Of 2018 Look Like?

What Does The Office Of 2018 Look Like?

Indeed numerous different office trends come and go, so what does the office of 2018 look like? Here is a list of three things that people may see in 'The Office Of 2018'.

• Flexible Working
  The trend of flexible working is very popular amongst many different industries. Employees have the legal right to request flexible working conditions; however you must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks in order to be eligible.
  
  This does not however mean that the employer has to offer you flexible working conditions, but if they choose to refuse a request, they must have a good business reason for doing so.
  
  However, many people are still unaware what flexible working is. Flexible working essentially means that an employee has flexible start and/or finish times and/or has the ability to work from places outside the workplace, such as working from home.
  
  There are numerous advantages to flexible working structures. For example parents can utilise flexible working to take a break during the day to collect their children from school. However, it isn't just parents who can take advantage of this working structure. It can also be very useful to many people in the form of reduced commuting times. If employees can decide to travel during off-peak hours or indeed work from home, a lot of travel time can be saved. Additionally, with flexible working, an employee can schedule dentist or doctor appointments during the daytime.
  
  There are also benefits for the employer as well as the employee. For example, many people believe that they perform at their best when they feel most motivated to work. For some, it's a case of being a morning person or a night person, however this could also relate to the environment people feel most motivated to work in. Perhaps an employee has a home study in which they feel very motivated and can perform to a high standard. Or perhaps they prefer working in the later hours of the day and would prefer to start work at noon rather than 9am.
  
  So with regards to office design, as we move through 2018 it's possible that more and more offices may be designed to provide flexible working environments, for example an office layout dedicated to hot desking (a layout and style of working where people don't have a dedicated desk).

• Office Spaces Focused On Employee Wellbeing
  Employee wellbeing is a serious concern for any employer. If your employees are suffering from poor working conditions, then there's a chance that their quality of work might suffer as a result of these poor conditions.
  
  Furthermore, if your office has poor working conditions, perhaps the chairs and desks are causing employee's to suffer from back pain and neck aches, possibly even suffering from issues such as eye strain; you might start to notice your skilled employees searching for employment opportunities elsewhere.
  
  If you would like to learn more about how you can utilise a professional office service from Oaktree Interiors to improve the wellbeing of your workplace, you could read through our blog titled, The Importance Of Improving Your Workspace Wellbeing, it discusses topics such as productivity, health and how natural elements in the office can make people feel more productive and creative.

• Multi-Generational Design
  As the years and decades pass, different generations enter the world of work and begin their careers. As such, the workplace goes through numerous changes, having to adapt to both meet the needs of the newcomers, and also support the needs of the existing generations.
  
  With regards to the office of 2018, you could potentially see individuals who are aged in their 50s and 60s working in the same office environment as the 'Digital Natives' of Generation Z. Whilst likes and dislikes will vary from person to person, when you observe a generation as a whole, there are some trends with regards to what specific generations such as The Digital Natives or The Millennials want in a workplace.
  
  The two newest generations in the workplace are The Millennials and The Digital Natives, so if you would like to learn the differences between what each generation wants in their place of work, consider reading our blog titled Millennials Vs Gen Z, What Do They Want In An Office?. The blog discusses each generation and what many consider to be their attributes. For example, members of Gen Z are often described as hardworking, perhaps due to growing up during the recession.