New Work: Do companies still need an office?
New Work is a comprehensive topic. In the following commentary, the author addresses the question of whether companies can actually operate successfully without an office as a result of the trend toward flexible working (mobile work, home office and flexible working hours).
In light of the war for talent, companies are well advised to respond to the new desires of today's and tomorrow's workforce. But to enable their employees to work productively outside the office, collaborative working technologies are becoming increasingly important and a foundation for business success.
Create a culture of cooperation
To foster collaboration, management must first and foremost create a culture of cooperation and shape an environment in which everyone can communicate openly and work productively, regardless of when and where they work. Many companies have also already recognized the importance of better connecting their isolated departments and building structures for company-wide collaboration. However, they often do not yet have the tools or infrastructure to realize these goals. As the workforce diversifies and transforms, the use of audiovisual tools and unified communications platforms is therefore an important step in supporting all employees and connecting them through a common philosophy and culture.
Currently, virtual collaboration is becoming increasingly prevalent - also thanks to suitable solutions such as unified communications platforms. So technical solutions are improving work tools and giving employees the freedom to work in the way that suits them best - even if that means working outside the office.
Do not replace the office
While many workers would like to work from home or on the road, face-to-face communication is still very important to employees of all ages: in a study conducted by our company, 78% of respondents said they would like to work in the company office at least once a week. To that extent, companies should encourage face-to-face interaction among their employees by providing office space. So the new technologies for collaboration should complement face-to-face interaction, not replace the office.
Accordingly, for today's workforce, offices are a place where ideas can be discussed and important decisions can be made. But they should also allow individuals to work in a concentrated manner. If these two requirements are taken into account, the most important aspect for the design of an office is already fulfilled in most cases: The office must fit the needs of the employees. At the same time, it is essential that those who work from home or on the road are not excluded from the workforce.
The home office, mobile work and office options together enable truly flexible working. Employees who have these choices at their disposal can work whenever and wherever they see fit. With these three options and the right work tools, companies thus offer their employees the best foundations for productive activity.
Goodbye 9-to-5 jobs
One thing is clear: adapting the traditional, rigid office environment to the needs of today's workforce is long overdue. Companies that expect their workers to show up at 9 a.m. every workday, spend all day in the office, and leave at 5 p.m. will quickly find that they lose employees, lag behind the competition, and struggle to recruit from the new generation of young and tech-savvy people. Companies that instead encourage collaboration - whether through flexible work tools, modern workspaces, or even with gaming areas - will increasingly benefit from a happier, more motivated, and more productive workforce.
Roland Lunck
is Regional Vice President Germany at Fuze, the maker of a cloud-based communications and collaboration software platform for businesses available worldwide. https://de.fuze.com
