Technology has greatly transformed the workplace in recent decades, as collaborative systems, the internet and smart hardware create an office which past generations would be unfamiliar with. But what will the office of the future look like? Here are some of the trends and innovations that could be coming to a workplace near you.
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AI
It is predicted that AI, already adding over a trillion dollars in value to businesses will continue to enrich our workplaces in the future.
Already a feature found in voice and image recognition, bots in communication tools and autocorrect, AI is increasing the efficiency and productivity of many businesses. Machine learning will only help to make offices more responsive and smarter in the future, with voice assistance already appearing in offices.
Teleconferencing and collaboration tools
The biggest leap in devices used by office workers, along with tablets and computers, has been in how meetings are conducted.
Communication technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, with the unreliable conference calls of the past replaced with HD video conferencing and high-quality VoIP solutions which enable face-to-face meetings with colleagues all over the world. For a wholesale VoIP termination provider, enquire with a company such as https://www.idtexpress.com.
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Improved connectivity has enabled global businesses to easily and quickly communicate with workers around the world without dropped calls or long delays, and as businesses continue to go global, technology innovations in workplace collaboration will play a key role in offices of the future.
Document collaboration and real-time editing have become a reality in the workplace, but many platforms are currently in their infancy. Increasing integration using messaging services will prove useful tools in the future to bring separate offices together and share documents with ease, using innovations such as holographic display and virtual meetings with a stylus used to edit documents projected in mid-air.
The IoT office
With many offices already choosing motion-sensitive lighting and other measures to save energy, controlling energy usage across buildings to ensure savings will become commonplace.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has experienced rapid growth, with sensors, which monitor employee movement and behaviour, likely to continue to be a big trend in offices of the future. Sensors could be embedded in the walls, floors and ceiling to conduct multiple tasks such as monitoring the bins and empty meeting rooms to save energy costs.