Office of the Future, Part 2

Published July 21st, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire

The office of the future…What will it look like? We’re still exploring the concept in part two of this series. In this installment, aBetterOffice.com turned to Plantronics, a designer, manufacturer and marketer of communications headset products. Plantronics has been watching the office evolve since 1962 and has indeed been part of that evolution.

Let’s jump right in. Determining what the office of the future will look like demands considering what drivers lead to an office evolution, as well as the practical communications needs of mobile workers, virtual workers and in-office workers as they collaborate on projects. As Plantronics sees it, real estate costs, recruiting and retaining talent, a transitory workforce, business continuity, and technology will usher in a new era of offices.

In a down economy, many companies are shuttering buildings or downsizing real estate because of layoffs. Some may not return to the same workforce model when the economy recovers. What’s more, the economy increasingly demands a global distributed workforce. Companies can no longer expect the best and brightest to move across the country to work for their firm. Today’s workforce is also more likely to switch jobs rather than staying at one firm for 30 years.

“Permanent offices or semi-permanent cubicles that are dedicated to specific employees will give way to hoteling/hotdesking workspaces. In a hoteling environment, employers set up private workspaces and open collaborative workspaces where employees can simply plug, get on the net work and be productive. This reduces wasted resources on cube farms and utility costs,” says Karen Aubey, a spokesperson for Plantronics.

Future office technology
Technology such as Unified Communications, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), social networking, portable devices and cloud computing will be at the center of the office of the future, Aubey says. Let’s review:

• Unified Communications (UC) refers to integrated IM, voice mail, e-mail, telephony and video. The technology allows users locate colleagues anywhere at any time.
• VoIP makes it easier for people who are remote to stay in touch and collaborate on the fly. It is also much more cost-effective than replacing aging PBX systems (the desk phone) or only using a mobile phone.
• Social networking helps provide context and personality – a feeling of friendship – for people who may never – or rarely – meet fact to face. Facebook, or internal enterprise social networking tools help keep a “human” connection.
• In addition to the smartphone/PDA, companies are now purchasing smaller more efficient laptops and netbooks.
• Securing information online and allowing remote workers to access such applications and services provides information security and lower costs than software licenses with cloud computing.

Mixing communications tools
“As Unified Communications becomes more prevalent in the enterprise, professionals are increasingly using a mix of communication tools, including desk phones, softphones and mobile phones, on an everyday basis,” says Melanie Turek, industry principal, Unified Communications at Frost & Sullivan. “Intelligent headsets that can unify devices and applications to help eliminate costs and improve workforce collaboration are truly essential for successful UC deployments.”

With UC technologies already available and in use by large enterprises, it won’t be too long before even the most expensive of these tools become more affordable and allow small business adoption. In-State and Wainhouse Research predict the UC market will be worth $48.17 billion by 2012 – that’s just three years from now!

“The way in which individuals communicate and collaborate in the business setting has changed dramatically in the last few years, but we are just on the cusp of even more dramatic change. Employees will increasingly have intuitive tools that allow them to control communications and presence, while expanding their access to critical information,” says David Lemelin an In-Stat analyst. “Companies of all types and sizes acknowledge the competitive need to streamline the flow of knowledge and subject matter expertise within the organization, including distributed and mobile workers.”

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