There has been a recent trend in the style of office management to give employees more influence over their environment, providing them with extra comforts to encourage productivity. However, persistent technology shortcomings have continued to undermine these efforts. In response, the concept of the smart office has developed.
What Makes an Office ‘Smart?’
The smart office takes the fundamental motivation behind improving the employee’s workspace experience and applies it to their technology. In short, with the help of technology, an employee can be more satisfied with their workplace, and thereby be more productive. Between cloud computing, the rise in mobile technologies, Big Data, and the Internet of Things, it is no wonder that smart offices enable improved productivity among workers – and that’s before we’ve gotten into the nitty-gritty as to how these technologies are utilized.
In a way, the word ‘smart’ in ‘smart office’ holds two different, but interconnected, meanings. Not only are these offices equipped with smart technologies like the ones detailed above, but they are also primed to enable employees to work smarter.
Why Smart Offices?
Naturally, if we’re going to recommend something, we have some good reasons to do so. There are some very real benefits to embracing the concept of a smart office.
- Improving the experience of the user – Not only does a smart office make it easier to be productive, it also helps it to be more enjoyable. By keeping employees happy and healthy, a smart office can help to keep them motivated and able to maximize their productivity. Furthermore, attendance and creativity have also been shown to improve when a workforce is given the opportunity to be more engaged.
- Encouraging collaboration – The inherent flexibility that a smart office provides enables a business to find the setup and approach that works best for them. This could include providing employees the option to use sit/stand desks, or group those who collaborate more into shared areas of the office.
- Optimizing the office itself – Smart, IoT technology doesn’t only have to play a leading role in operations, it can do just as much good behind the scenes as well. Some companies have used the IoT to increase their energy efficiency and conservation efforts by collecting usage data through sensors, and adjusting lighting, climate control, and networking components accordingly.
Using this kind of technology, workplaces can be made more comfortable for those who spend their time working there, as well as more effective in accomplishing the organization’s goals. For assistance with the technology you are currently leveraging and potential improvements that can be made to it, reach out to Succurri at (206) 340-1616.
