Work Environment of the Future

Most of us follow a similar routine 5 days a week: wake up when the sun does, rush to finish a cup of coffee while getting dressed, drive to the office, work until lunch when we run out to grab a quick bite to eat, back to work, drive home and cook dinner, a few other chores before a short period of time to relax, then off to bed to wake up and do it all over again the next day.  There’s nothing wrong with Corporate America or this routine.  But what most of us don’t realize is just how much of our day we spend in the office.  Let’s say we’re all working the average 40 hours in a week and getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night (it’s a wishful thought).  Within the 24 hours of a day, we spend 1/3 of that time sleeping,  another 1/3 at work, and the last 1/3 is our “free time”, spent doing incredibly fun activities like commuting, running errands, and doing laundry.  With so much time spent at work, wouldn’t it make sense for “responsive tech…to become not just luxurious for leisure, but a necessity” in the office?

An article published on psfk.com describes a few technologies that could make the work environment more efficient.

My personal favorite is the mention of contextually aware lighting.  Such lights “might know when to turn up the blue tones when a boost of energy is needed, and turn to a warmer tone when it’s almost quitting time.”  Personal desk lamps could have settings to help with jet-lag and sleepiness for night shifts as well as scents to energize and reduce stress.  Feeling like I’m working in the sunshine with the invigorating scene of clementines as opposed to a “glorified people-terrarium”? Count me in.

The next piece of technology is a weight triggered shelf inlay.  At first it might not seem the most exciting:  “oh good, the shelf can tell me how much these paperclips weigh.”  But such an inlay actually has great benefits for keeping supplies in stock.  The bluetooth-connected scale can sense when refillable items, say printer paper or sticky notes, are running low.  The inlay could then send a push notification to the office manager, letting them know it’s time to reorder.  Even better, it could reorder additional supplies automatically from a connected retailer.  Imagine?  Never running out of sticky notes again.

The last technology mentioned is the suggested use of RFID tags to keep track of inventory.  Tagging equipment and stray devices means always knowing where they are, because every time an “item leaves the supply closet, a sensor on the door detects the tag” and automatically begins tracking the item.  At Radianse, we generally use RFID to help other businesses, like tracking inmates in the corrections industry, equipment and patients in healthcare, and staff and cleanliness in fitness facilities.  However, we could track assets here in our own office and make sure we always know where everything is.  Then our Director of Sales, Chris Allen, would never have to run around looking for the Marketing Laptop again.

Do you think a technologically advanced office space would make you more efficient at work?  Are you on board for scented sunshine lights and a never ending supply of sticky notes?  Or do you think your office should stay as it is?  Let us know what you think by sending an email to carolyn.riel@radianse.com or calling  (603) 994-2200.  We’d love to hear from you!

(1) psfk | http://www.psfk.com/2015/09/smart-work-environment-office-tomorrow-entirely-self-aware.html