Ever since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, we have seen the definition of the “workplace” change significantly. At first, when no other options existed during a global shutdown, everyone had to work from home. As the world began to open back up, we’ve seen this evolve into ever-changing hybrid workforces. While some businesses have shifted back to requiring employees to be in the office full- or part-time, other companies and professionals remain distributed across the country, or even the globe, working fully remote. Within this newly defined reality of the workplace, we have seen everything from home offices to communal workspaces and collaborative boardrooms continue to evolve.
How will the workplace transform in 2023 and beyond? We’ve been designing workplace technology solutions for our clients for decades and can see where it’s headed. Here’s what companies should be thinking about.
Successful workplaces now require infrastructure that allow on-site professionals to communicate and collaborate seamlessly when working with remote employees. This will come in the form of creating meeting rooms that use innovative audio-visual technologies to create a better more collaborative experience. Technologies like motion tracking video cameras and microphones that can specifically focus on the individual speaking in a room can make meetings between distributed teams more productive. Additionally, advancements in cabling technologies and receivers can help to de-clutter meeting rooms, making office space more aesthetically pleasing. You can read more about some of the recent advancements in AV technology for meeting rooms here, and learn more about how to build a conference room for the hybrid professional here.
Not only will meeting and conference rooms see changes in 2023 and beyond, but entire offices have already started renovations to accommodate the new hybrid approach. Offices are being reimagined to better support this new setup, with more common spaces and a human-centric design element. Naturally, a hybrid workforce means that office attendance will fluctuate frequently, and new office designs will have to be flexible enough to give professionals adequate working areas, no matter how many people are remote versus in-person on any given day.
As companies continue to reimagine their workspaces into facilities that better serve the modern hybrid professional, the adoption of smart office technologies will remain a key trend throughout 2023 that we will continue to monitor.
Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are significant improvements in wireless internet connectivity. The unanimous vote by the Federal Communications Commission in 2020 to open the 6GHz band of the wireless spectrum is the largest spectrum addition to Wi-Fi since 1989. The addition means less signal interference, and as a result, smoother operations. Upgrading to Wi-Fi 6/6E minimizes the chances of slow or unreliable connections that negatively impact your business, and allows for better collaboration among your professionals at home and in the office.
At Align, our Workplace Technology professionals are always at the forefront of the latest technologies and are constantly searching for solutions that will bring the workplace into the future. Our team is helping to reimagine the workplace while we continue to enable the connected enterprise and hybrid professional. Our focus is enabling businesses to operate efficiently and effectively while leveraging the best technology on the market, without breaking the bank.
To learn more, contact a Workplace Technology professional today and begin the journey of transforming your office for the future.