What do modern workplaces look like?

Changing technologies and communications enable work to be done just about anywhere. A recent paper (published by Samsung) highlights this and states that by 2020, half of the global workforce will be working remotely most of the time. That seems like a huge over-estimate, especially when considering the chart on this article from the World Economic Forum indicating only approximately 5% of Americans worked from home in 2016 figures.

Whatever the percentage of the workforce working remotely, a recent survey of over 8000 employees (by McKinsey) indicates this is not a bad thing - freelance workers and independent contractors, freed from the constraints of office work, tend to be more satisfied and more productive. The Samsung paper suggests that the latest generation of the workforce have high expectations for technology, being “… intolerant of devices or software that limit their productivity…”.

That is the products, but what about the working environment? There are some downsides to working from home / library / coffee shop or airport. Office Athletes point out that these locations do not always have the work-friendly lighting conditions, chair, desk, computer monitors and social interactions that traditional offices have.

Achieving long-term productivity in modern workplaces

Knowing this, we can realize an opportunity to train employees to successfully work remotely. Human Factors Applications can provide workplace assessments and physical arrangements to provide this, with well-chosen products that enable a comfortable working position and advice on how to manage the changes.

Contact us to find out how we can assist you to provide a comfortable workstation setup, and check out our Products page for some examples of our products.