Office Fitouts – what’s trending in 2022
The office environment is a crucial part of dictating the productivity, community and wellbeing of those who occupy the space. The modern workplace is constantly evolving, especially whilst we live in a post COVID-19 world. To catch you up on some of the best office trends and why they’re so great, here is our breakdown of what’s trending in office fitouts for 2022!
1. Flexible Work Spaces
Open style spaces are becoming even more popular than they were in previous years. Say goodbye to traditional meeting rooms and private offices, and say hello to co-working spaces and social areas. Working collaboratively has become a crucial part of office communities and open plan helps to promote this as a way of sitting together rather than in separate spaces with boundaries. This style of layout has also been proven to boost productivity, reduce staff turnover and create a more pleasant social environment for workers. These open plan spaces also allow for more flexibility in how they can be used and divided, which can be extremely beneficial for quick changes like social distancing requirements or shifts in teams due to large projects for example.
2. Wellbeing In The Workspace
Health and wellbeing of workers has become more important than ever and understanding how to create the best work environments for your team is now a crucial element to get the most out of your workspace. Some adjustments to spaces that have proved effective in this area include, creating a social and communal kitchen space where staff can take a break and unwind, integrating ergonomic equipment such as standing desks and even things as simple as increasing the amount of natural light. A popular trend currently is to create fun, creative, green spaces in offices to help boost air-quality and circulation. These simple changes can create a more healthy, positive environment for those who frequent the office.
3. A Focus On Sustainability
Protecting and caring for our environment is an issue that shouldn’t be overlooked as it continues to become an integral part of everyday life. More companies are understanding how to be environmentally-conscientious and care more about how they go about creating an eco-friendly office space. Some offices choose to integrate small sustainable practices such as the use of recycling bins and others go as far as a total paper-free office. Another way companies are being sustainable is using recycled materials and products in their fitouts such as reclaimed wood and recycled metals. A good way of coming up with more sustainable practices is by hiring an office sustainability expert. A great add on to this is to get your team involved and see what great ideas they come up with. Involving your workers gives them a sense of pride, especially when they get to see their ideas come to life. It also usually means they take sustainability and what it means a lot more seriously.
4. Integrated technology
Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate and office technology is no different. Every day we see more accessible and useful products for work environments. Integrating these technologies is crucial in the fitout process, to ensure that they can be used to their fullest potential. Creating a modern, smart office may sound simple, but there are so many aspects to technology and how it is integrated into the workspace, that this area of the office fitout, really takes some careful planning.
Some of the most popular gadgets being integrated into offices in 2022 include hands-free technology (driven by COVID-19), voice activated technology and central control systems for heating, cooling and lights. All these new technologies help to streamline work places and provide an extra level of comfort to the workers.
If you would like to know more about any of these fitout trends, simply get in touch with us today.