When Architizer announced its 11th Annual A+Awards honorees, the winning office spaces reflected “warmer office environments” centered around a flexible workspace. The reasons are clear. Today, the modern office — packed with hybrid technology — must be designed to keep returning workers happy while allowing them to easily collaborate with peers both at the office and at a remote workstation. It also reflects the findings of a September 2023 Gartner study that said 63% of HR leaders report “an increased expectation around employees spending days in the office.”
As a result, smart designers and consultants are seeking and selecting technology that supports this hybrid work environment, reimagining facilities to make them more functional and flexible for hybrid operations and employee work habits. Technology plays a critical role in this, too. Below, find four strategies to embrace when designing and creating the flexible workspace of today.
1. Outfit your space with technology to impress
The needs and preferences of workers in a hybrid environment require a new vision of your existing workspace. Flexibility and customization are key to this. For example, in the hybrid environment, office and meeting spaces can be smaller but offer greater functionality. That’s why many organizations are creating “huddle” spaces for employees to do quick, impromptu meetings, connect on projects and brainstorm solutions without the formality and time commitment of a traditional meeting. These can be larger rooms that are broken up into smaller, soundproof areas or new builds repurposing old closets and storage areas.
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However small and informal these spaces are, they still need to impress. Outfitting those new spaces with the latest technology is important to this, making sure employees can accomplish whatever they need to in the space in the most efficient way possible. This means you’ll need to include monitors that can quickly connect to laptops or handheld devices, interactive whiteboards, video conferencing equipment and speakers so everyone can collaborate with colleagues in the room, at other offices and at home. Solutions include smart monitors, interactive displays and video conferencing tools like Cisco, Logitech and Microsoft.
2. Bring wow to the table with stylish, functional technology
Often, it’s the idea of returning to a drab, stodgy and uninspiring office that keeps employee affections at arm’s length, especially after years of their own personal comfort. That’s why it’s essential for office designers to bring some wow to the table and create a work environment with pizzazz and personality.
It doesn’t need to be superfluous, either, as technology solutions can easily combine style and function. A great example is digital signage, such as Samsung LCD video walls, which can employ top-of-the-line graphics and artwork to deliver information and wayfinding. Add further wow via their functionality. For example, self-service kiosks can call out the day’s specials in your office’s cafeterias while allowing employees to order lunch on them. Installing interactive displays in meeting rooms also makes sure all presentations look their best and all connected employees sound crystal clear.
3. Build a collaboration nation
Every successful business knows that collaboration begets success. That’s why office designers are encouraging interactive displays, the best of which come with robust video conference capabilities — creating the ultimate collaboration experience. Using Samsung Interactive Display, for example, employees can work on documents and projects together, annotating the board with a finger or any input device, saving all content and sharing it via email.
You can also make it easier for people to collaborate at their desks with customizable workstations outfitted with high-resolution monitors designed for any need. Using Samsung ViewFinity Curved Monitor, employees can see multiple inputs and keep track of everything on a single screen — all while benefiting from ergonomic design, intelligent eye care and built-in speakers. That’s also great for hybrid collaboration.
4. Provide seamless support
Every workday is different, which is why it’s important to make the hybrid work experience seamless and secure. Employees will expect no-fuss displays that are easy to manage from anywhere, and when they come into the office, they want to hook up their laptops immediately without problems. Digital managers also need to be able to change signage, disseminate information and keep the office humming at all times.
Samsung VXT, a cloud-based software solution, offers tremendous capabilities for controlling the office’s digital signage without the need for an IT degree, thanks to its highly intuitive content creation and management systems. The cloud-native structure of Samsung VXT CMS enables businesses and employees to deploy and update software directly from the cloud portal without the need to install or update each software individually. Speedy deployment and easy installation of the technology come with Samsung technical support and construction services.
Feeding success
As Corporate Wellness Magazine points out, a well-designed workspace can make a huge difference when it comes to employee wellness, engagement and productivity. That’s why incorporating the most dynamic technology — whether it’s innovative digital signage, high-resolution curved monitors or interactive whiteboards with video conferencing capabilities — into your office design is the first step in creating a less stressful transition back to the office and enhancing the collaboration and comfort that feeds success.
See the full range of Samsung display solutions to find the best fit for your needs. And discover how these collaboration tools in the modern office equal cost savings.
