Staying relevant in a fast-paced business environment is one of the biggest challenges that most companies face. On the one hand, you need to make sure that the product itself can adapt and stay relevant as markets change, but have you thought about your office space. Your workspace and the equipment that you’re using has a big impact on your ability to offer a good service to your customers so it’s essential that it’s always keeping up with any developments. If you haven’t considered it before, here are some important ways to future-proof your office building.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By xujun
Smart Devices
The smart home revolution is moving fast and more and more people are buying Amazon Echo and Google Home devices to automate their homes. You might think that this doesn’t really have anything to do with your business, but it does. First off, they can be a good business asset because they’re great for setting reminders and events on the calendar etc. and being able to operate things like the thermostat and lights remotely can help you save money with your energy consumption. But more importantly, the smart tech revolution is going to move outside of the home soon. The idea of the smart city is already gaining ground and over the next few decades, smart tech is going to be integrated everywhere. If your business isn’t set up for that when we bring smart cities to life, you’re going to be playing catch up. All of your competitors will be reaping the benefits of a connected city and you’ll be spending loads of money updating your office all at once. But if you start introducing these technologies now, you’ll be ready for the smart tech revolution.
Increased Security
All of that new technology brings a lot of security risks along with it. You already know that cyber security is important but if you’re putting that many resources into it, you’re putting your office space at risk. You need to have up to date firewalls and a good identity and access management system so you can be sure that no unauthorized people are getting into your secure systems. As the number of smart devices in the world increases, so do the opportunities for security breaches and you need to be prepared for that.
Flexible Work Spaces
The way that people work is changing. The standard 9 to 5 day is falling out of fashion because it’s easier for people to work remotely and studies show that flexible schedules are better for productivity. Your office needs are very different if your employees are working on a flexible schedule and so you need to alter your workspace to account for that. Personal desks aren’t always necessary when people aren’t in the office that much, but you do need coworking spaces for groups to meet if they’re collaborating on a project. You can reduce your office space and replace the personal desks with fluid workspaces that people can use as and when they need them.
If you do these things, you can make sure that your office space is future-proof and you’re prepared for any changes in the business world.