The internet of things in the workplace

Port Elizabeth - Whether created through construction, renovation or adaptive reuse, future South African workplaces will be a notable departure from office developments of today, according to Nadir Jeeva, CEO of Afri-Corp International Properties.   
 
He said right now, a melting-pot of change in workplace design and organisational cultures coupled to technological disruption will quite literally bring down the walls on work space and office design in South Africa. Changes in the generational make-up of the country’s workforce, technological developments such as Internet of Things (IoT), a strong commitment to employee wellness and workplace flexibility are forcing real estate developers and commercial property owners to rethink and reimagine real-estate spaces in order remain relevant and in touch with the needs of the market place.
 
The importance of well-thought-out working spaces can simply no longer be ignored. A growing body of academic research shows the relationship between effective workplace design, productivity and bottom-line performance. A case in point is a rather unsettling study where findings of a research programme by international architectural firm Gensler showed that poor workplace design in the US resulted in productivity losses of $330bn dollars. The design of work spaces also directly influences employee engagement and innovation.
 
Jeeva said across the Atlantic, four mega-trends are shaping workplace design in South Africa right now:

Workspaces have to be compatible with millennials
 
Millennials - those born between the 1980s and the mid-2000s - will become the largest segment of the South African working population in less than a decade. Developers will need to ensure that commercial office developments cater to employers recruiting younger workforces.  
 
Millennials are inclined and gravitate to historic inner-city office spaces, and prefer loft-like working environments. Such work spaces are often laid-back, in high-finish and feature adaptable furniture systems. According to architecture firm LPA, hierarchy, tenure, and seniority should no longer be factored into design - walls will quite literally disappear.
 
The work space for millennials has to support creativity, above all, and it should be remembered that technology enables them to work anywhere at any time.

Humanisation of the workplace
 
The humanisation of the workplace focusses on people-centred programmes in support of occupational health and wellbeing, and through workplace design, workforces can be kept motivated and productive.   
 
At its core, workplace humanisation broadly entails creating a sense of security, control and belonging, and really entails the psychological dimension of workplace design.
 
For this, developers will need to pay close attention to inclusion of good lighting, strategic colour schemes, natural features, and other design elements that induce positive and happy moods, improve concentration and reduce fatigue.
 
Connected to this are spaces allowing employees to create a work-life balance. That is why large developments and office parks in the future will feature more light lifestyle facilities, recreational amenities, wellness rooms, and day-care facilities, among others.

Spaces of privacy, spaces of collaboration
 
There is a growing body of academic research which suggests that open-plan office configurations are unproductive space for work activity. As a result, many employees want more privacy to allow them to focus, and spaces which increase collaboration.
 
For this, activity-based design is seen as the panacea. It provides bespoke work areas for task-driven activities. This design approach further creates workspaces for increased privacy and workspaces which promotes collaboration.
 
The concept of activity-based working was introduced by Erik Veldhoen, author of The Demise of the Office. Veldhoen believes work days can be structured more productively when employees are able to choose where to sit to work.
 
Activity-based workplaces can provide quiet zones and spaces for collaboration. The introduction of cubicles and pods, offer pause areas for brief escapism, but can also be configured as collaborative spaces. Importantly, through such work spaces, employees have flexibility in terms of workspaces, and will automatically feel more empowered and engaged.
 
Key to effective activity-based spaces is furniture design such as monitor arms, and touchscreen workstations, among others.

The internet of things in the workplace
 
Shrinking office spaces and telecommuting are giving rise to flexible workplaces. And, to position their companies as highly attractive destinations for workforces as a result of talent wars and in order to ensure greater levels of creativity and productivity, South African organisations are beginning to warm up to flexible working policies and arrangements.
 
Technology is also playing an important role in terms of workplace flexibility. The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to make some significant changes to the workplace, office interior design and the way that employees interact with the spaces in which they work.
 
The developing of IoT may offer comfort to office workers, and savings to building owners. By attaching sensors to objects, data can be recorded and generated into new knowledge such as the efficiency of employees, and the utilisation of offices spaces, amongst other. As the workplace decentralizes, the need for transparent information grows.
 
To date, the most obvious implementation in the workplace of IoT is the automation of heating systems and air conditioning. Furthermore, building systems industries create proprietary software, but there is a disconnect between communication with other systems. In short, there is room for disruption and innovation.    
 
"Post-millennium workplace design in South Africa has followed a distinct path. The rise of South Africa’s green building movement was partly connected to energy security and partly the result of the country’s electricity crisis in 2008," said Jeeva.

"It firmly and swiftly moved environmental justice from fringe into the mainstream of corporate citizenship agendas, which ultimately became realised the physical manifestation of ‘green’ buildings. It had created the much needed “conscientisation” within the real estate market to shift building design and office spaces into the ‘green’ space."  
 
He said nearly a decade later SA is entering a new frontier. The high-touch aspect of the happy and healthy employee movement, the high-tech aspect of digital innovation such as IoT, activity-based design and a culture of collaboration will be key factors in shaping future workplace design in SA.