NET.WORK.PLACE – End of the fixed workplace?

About 40 percent of the executives in companies of the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) expect a steady decline from rigid workplace concepts, while mobile workstations and innovative workplace concepts such as co-working are on the rise. This is the result of a Crisp Research study, which the IT research and consulting firm carried out for Citrix in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

The trend is clear. More and more people want to work more freely and flexible, but also work less to reconcile and combine work and family. Family friendliness is for the majority of employees in Germany of great importance with regard to their personal well-being. 91 percent say under current 361° A.T. Kearney family-study, “to risk Compatibility” that a good compatibility of these two worlds would be of high importance. However a quarter of men and one third of women fear that in use of family-friendly services, the future career could be at risk in the company. Following they could receive less attractive tasks or their professional services could be perceived worse by superiors.

Well-Being increases performance
The social research institute TNS Emnid, which surveyed 2000 people between 25 and 55 years throughout the Germany, revealed that 53 percent of parents currently are “very happy” or “happy”, but parents of young and school-age children are happier with their lives than persons who have no children (41 percent). That happiness or personal well-being increases work performance, should in any case be little doubt.
Satisfied employees are more pragmatic, fail less frequently, but above all they are more engaged at work, get along better with colleagues and clients and earn a higher salary.
The British economist Andrew Oswald and his co-authors were able to demonstrate this empirically plausible assumptions in various studies in the laboratory. Two groups were formed, one placed in a rather sad, the other in a fun atmosphere. Their results: The happy minded participants were more productive in the subsequent phase of work by an average of 12 percent.
Another study proved this relationship by means of econometric methods according to a macroeconomic level of 20 countries. Accordingly Germany, France and Poland could increase productivity and efficiency by an average of between 3,5 to 4 percent.
For the success of employee productivity did not play in the first place “extravagances” a role, but basic needs.

IT is driving, office furniture must follow
A lever in order to increase the well-being of workers, is likely to be the flexibility of labor. 67 percent see exactly this as a great opportunity to bring professional and family life together. But as before, we spend a lot of our time at the office.

Crisp Research identified five mega-trends that will occupy us for years, and radically question how companies work, and confront them with major challenges regarding new work place and mobility concepts.
The driving force of this revolution is the digitalization, as the iPhone example shows that it has completely reshaped the lifestyle of millions.

However, the study leaves no doubt that for companies, a modern IT equipment is the main pillar of their new workplace and mobility strategy.
When asked about the direct link between the strategic development and trends with the design of their own workplace and mobility concepts, 46 percent indicated that mobile devices, technologies and cloud services possess a significant influence on the world of work.
Especially the younger generation, which tends to be more open to new technologies, sees in it a significant motivation to promote teamwork and work-life balance. Therefore, 40 percent also believe that the Home Office concept and mobile working will continue to increase slightly; 7 percent even think these work models are increasing strongly.

New technologies therefore are setting the pace in modern design of the work environment.
The office furniture industry will need to consider that – if it was not already done…

Only in second place, questions such as individualization of the workplace, design, qualitative and ergonomic office furniture and a versatile environment play a role.
The study – the authors believe – shows clearly that the fixed and steady workplace with standardized, poorly flexible and lacking design and digital adapting offices are facing extinction.
The K + N City News tip:
The themes of teamwork and work-life balance are, in younger companies, in the very top concerns such as the questions of design and new workplace concepts.

Both are increasingly called for and must be provided, if opting for employees from the current, well-educated generation.

To remain attractive as an employer, it is therefore more than ever necessary, to have an office environment and a work environment that can offer it, which takes up this change structurally and organizationally.

That contribution can be made by the central zone concept NET.WORK.PLACE, which stands for more freedom of movement, more communication and more openness.

NET.WORK.PLACE is a highly modular system furniture, which is geared to the needs of modern working environments and the Digital Natives.

Author: Ulrich Texter

Source: K+N City News, https://kn-citynews.de/einzelansicht-news/article/stirbt-der-feste-arbeitsplatz-aus.html