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Over the last two years there is no question that we have all been tested (pardon the pun!). And yet, at HON we’ve seen inspiring responses to it all. We’ve been impressed by the resilience of our members, the resourcefulness of our distributors and the determination of those we serve in business, education and healthcare. To us, they’re all essential workers.
As we’ve gone through this together, we’ve seen three workplace trends emerge. In many ways, they’re timeless, yet they’ve proven to be especially relevant now, as office workplaces are being reimagined. We’re talking about agility, collaboration and productivity. These three ideas remind us what it takes to thrive in the modern workplace.
They’ll also be sustaining topics for HON in the year ahead. Our goal is to inspire you with new ideas and thinking, and show how the products we make are designed to help you achieve each of them.
Here’s what these workplace trends mean to us.
Featured Products: Coordinate™ and Solve®
Before March 2020, who had actually experienced telemedicine checkups? Distance learning? Extensive Zoom meetings? Yet each was quickly learned and adopted at a time when people needed to be face-to-face, but couldn’t. That’s agility in practice: the ability and willingness to respond to new factors and change on a dime.
At HON, agility means meeting new customer needs just as quickly. As HON President Brandon Bullock mentioned in a recent interview, HON’s culture helps us respond quickly to changes in needs and trends. One example: when the need was greatest, HON fast-tracked the design and production of PPE stands for masks and sanitizers and partitions for open office spaces and other uses (often available as Quickship options).
We aren’t alone in this belief. “Agile workspaces support shifting needs throughout the work cycles inherent to project or product development,” said Kelly McEachern, a Senior Interior Project Manager with Perkins&Wil, in an interview with website Allwork.space. “More so lately, we see this term being used to describe flexibility and choice provided with a variety of work setting options.”
Featured Products: Astir™ and Birk™
For any organization to move forward, collaboration simply can’t stop. Fortunately, distanced collaboration won’t last forever. As we settle into a new reality that combines distanced work with in-person office environments, HON will continue to design and advocate for workplaces that foster the ideas that come from give-and-take engagement.
In fact, we’ve studied the ways agile office interiors are being rethought and reconfigured to facilitate just that. One key to conversations and cooperative work is the ability to reconfigure furniture and layouts based on function and necessity. (For ideas and inspiration, download our whitepaper, Open Space. Open Mind. Collaboration Trends for Small Businesses.) While some degree of distance collaboration is likely here to stay, dedicated spaces for both in-person and virtual meetings will be essential.
Featured Products: Acoustical Screens, Contain®, Empower® and Solve®
Here’s some really good news. According to a recent workforce trends report cited by Human Resources Today, despite the conventional wisdom that workers “languished” during time apart, in many companies employee productivity, satisfaction and engagement stayed the same or even increased during the pandemic—largely due to more flexibility in the workplace and additional employee-focused benefits. As the world considers what the future of work (and workplace design) might truly look like, the question is: Will those conditions be maintained or return to pre-pandemic patterns?
At HON, we have no doubt the modern office will continue to evolve, as employee expectations, responsibilities and work styles change. Flexibility will be key. And we will continue to deliver furniture and office systems designed for reconfiguration. As you navigate this new world, remember: you’re never alone. A certified HON dealer nearby can review your space, discuss your needs and provide the expert reassurance you need to make smart investments in agile office space design—and the future of your organization.
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