Office furniture trends have been undergoing an evolution for the past few years now, and much of it was exacerbated by the rise of the recent pandemic. The push for modern office furniture to offer flexibility, mobility and adaptability in the workplace has accelerated, and many companies, including fluidconcepts, have taken notice.
To understand how to tackle this shift in workplace demand, we first need to understand the trends responsible for it. 2022 is the year that most people are heading back to work, and many of the trends that follow will migrate into 2023, and beyond. Let’s take a look at them.
FLEXIBLE DESIGNS
Fixed office furniture is quickly showing its age in the modern era, and it’s giving way to mobility and flexibility as key factors in purchasing decisions. Today’s office furniture needs to be versatile, and that means being able to set up, tear down, and redeploy in different parts of the office as needed. No more bulky desks and workstations; now it’s all about office furniture that is robust, with a modular approach.
This is especially advantageous in an age when many employees are working from home several days each week. With workers coming and going, it pays to have flexible office furniture that can be used by multiple individuals, instead of filling up valuable square footage with too many workstations that remain largely unused. Similarly, as companies grow and hire more workers, the ability to reconfigure office furniture at a moment’s notice is incredibly handy, allowing companies to maximize the efficiency of their particular spaces.
COMFORT & CONVENIENCE
Many folks still have the jitters when it comes to the idea of going back to the office, even as the pandemic wanes worldwide. For that reason, the modern office needs to be as welcoming, convenient and comfortable as possible in order to banish fears and get workers back into a positive swing. Modern office furniture takes this into account with stylish designs blended with functionality and safety options such as dividers that can create a little more space between workers, to make them feel protected.
Other areas such as the break room and study areas opt for a more comfortable route in order to give employees a place to catch their breath and relax. They can also be used as workspaces to banish the monotony of sitting in one place all day long. If that means adding a couch to the break room that doubles as a relaxation spot, and a place to curl up and knock out that big design or report, so be it.
GOING VERTICAL
It may not seem like the first choice, but verticality is quickly gaining some steam in the modern workplace. Many office desks from companies like fluidconcepts offer the ability to adjust the height for the sake of getting employees off their keisters, and the health-related benefits are vast. Sitting down all day adds to a sedentary lifestyle that can exacerbate back pain and posture problems, while decreasing blood flow.
Therefore, adding vertically adjustable workstations and desking options to the workplace can really switch things up. Employees can choose to spend some time each day standing up to do their work, thereby getting the blood flowing, and encouraging mobility. It also has the added benefit of banishing a lingering sense of stagnation in the workplace. Being able to switch up how work is done gives employees more options, and that’s always a plus when it comes to staving off boredom and complacency.
THE COLLABORATIVE ECOSYSTEM
Whether working from home or in the office, the right furniture can help compliment the new collaborative ecosystem approach of the modern business age. By choosing the right furniture with a modular design aspect, companies can foster a sense of collaboration for all employees struggling to get back into the swing of things. Humans are social creatures, and the modern workplace needs to prioritize that in order to move past the trauma of the recent pandemic.
Plus, it’s just good business. By implementing ideas like hot desking and multi-purpose workstations, companies can eliminate everything from workplace stagnation to foot traffic bottlenecks, leading to a more robust and collaborative space. fluidconcepts has been at the forefront of this new collaborative approach even before the pandemic struck, because we saw the writing on the wall. Today’s socially-conscious workspaces need to be leaner, but definitely not meaner.
CONCLUSION
While much of the trends that have taken root in business culture over the past few years may seem metaphorical, it bleeds down into the actual design phase in a pretty big way. The right office furniture needs to strike a precise balance between traditional functionality, and the liquidic nature of modern workspace layout and design. Companies who jump on board will reap the benefits, and there are many of them.
For more information on how fluidconcepts can transform your office into a model of modern workplace efficiency, contact us today. We’d love to learn more about your company so that we can help you select the right office furniture options that best compliment your space and company culture.
