Author : BY ELIZABETH DUKES @iOfficeCorp
First, your workforce trades in their pressed suits for business casual khakis, then jeans and, now, occasionally even shorts. On any given workday, only about two-thirds of your team is working in the office. The change is steady, like most sustainable paradigm shifts.
But imagine for a moment plucking your grandfather out of his mid-century office and dropping him in the middle of an ultramodern workspace. Would he even know he was at work? Would he recognize anything? Or would he spend hours searching for his Rolodex, typewriter and carbon paper?
1. Automation is Taking Over the Grunt Work
Automation is nothing new. For generations, humans have been seeking machines to take over repetitive tasks and free up more time and headspace for creativity and innovation. Thanks to the advancement of the Internet, we’ve kicked automation into high gear.
2. Everything is Measurable
One of the benefits of this proliferation of automation–and technology in general–is the heaps of data we can now access. Instead of simply guessing how your efforts translate into revenue, you can track each and every action. You can literally assign value to each step of your supply chain.
3. Collaboration is a Priority
There’s a reason there are so few walls in the modern office, why conference rooms are becoming cozier and why break rooms look more like your home’s eat-in kitchen.
Thanks to all the automation and improved technology, employees have more time to collaborate–and they realize its value. According to an infographic published byQueens University of Charlotte, nearly three in four employers rank teamwork and collaboration as a top priority.
4. Time and Space Constraints are Disappearing
In the modern workplace, “9-to-5” has become a dirty word. Millennials actively avoid businesses that restrict work hours to traditional times in favor of organizations that offer more flexible scheduling.
In fact, according to survey by Bentley University, 77 percent of millennials say flex hours would make them more productive with a whopping 89 percent admitting to regularly checking email “after hours.” This generation prefers to work when their minds are sharpest. For some this is 10 a.m., but for others it’s 2 a.m.
5. Security Measures are Catching Up with Risks
Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find a business that hasn’t been a victim of a security breach, or at least a close call
