2023 is proving to be the year when many long-running workplace trends are taking their place in the mainstream at last. Smart office technology and hybrid working have fully arrived, and other ideas such as wellness a greater work-life balance are embedded.
With that in mind, we have taken a look at 2023 workplace trends to work out what companies and employees want in 2023.
Hybrid working
In many ways, hybrid working becoming the new normal is the biggest shake up in the workplace for a long time. Hybrid solutions have been talked about for a long time, but the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the trend, and now it has become normal for a large portion of businesses in the UK.
While full time remote operation is not to the taste of many businesses, hybrid working offers a halfway house that allows companies to retain their office work while also offering more flexibility to employees.
Study after study shows that by doing so, businesses can retain happy, motivated employees who are more productive and creative. However, you make it work, you have to provide something at the office which people can’t get at home to make your company irresistible. To learn more about how to find the ideal office space for your business, click here to read our previous article.
Advanced communication tools
Related to the previous point, one of the things that employees and businesses want the most in the workplace in 2023 is advanced communication tools.
This goes for internal communications where a hybrid workforce means that people need to be connected and involved with each other both in and out of the office to maximise collaboration. People and businesses also need the communication tools to communicate with other companies around the world externally.
The workforce has never been more spread out, and the economy has never been more global – meaning that a workplace designed to keep people connected is more valuable than ever before.
Offices which feature meeting rooms with state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment, business-grade broadband, integrated conference call facilities and even more speculative perks like VR headset capability are likely to become more and more popular as time goes on.
Health and wellbeing focus
Health and wellbeing has never been more important in every area of our lives, and that includes the workplace. Mental and physical health can both be improved by an office where happiness and health are prioritised to the same degree as productivity.
Many modern offices – especially the most in-demand flexible serviced offices on offer – will include a range of features which promote health and wellbeing. This can be environmental factors like dynamic air conditioning, ambient lighting and landscaped gardens; or it can be facilities-led with the inclusion of breakout rooms, relaxation spaces, cafes, gymnasiums, bicycle storage and more.
From the business perspective, choosing an office which meets employee needs like this is another way to ensure you have a happy, motivate and creative workforce. By focussing on creating a positive, healthy atmosphere, businesses will attract and retain the best staff, as well as being more likely to see better work and higher returns.
Embracing flexibility
Traditional offices have set floor plans and routines, with all new employees having to fit into them whether those, whether the arrangement was suitable for the work or not.
Modern office spaces tend to promote the exact opposite approach to life at work – now, flexibility rules all. This can mean ‘hot-desking’ where employees can move around to collaborate with different teams and colleagues as the need arises, or it can mean the possibility of taking yourself to a private office when needed.
It can also mean flexible contracts. Rather than signing up for 10 or 15 years, a business can instead rent only the desks it needs at the time, increasing or decreasing the space taken as the business grows and changes.
For employees, embracing flexibility in the workplace means being empowered to work how it best suits you, helping you to do your best work in a more satisfying way. For businesses, flexibility can mean keeping overheads down and making sure your company is operating in an agile, adaptable way.
Want to learn more about our available flexible serviced offices to rent and make the most of your workplace in 2023? Click here to see our available properties and get in touch with the team today.
