How to Design a High-Tech Office for Maximum Productivity

What Makes an Office High-Tech?

10:37 09 August 2021

With as much time as you spend in your office on a daily basis, you should take a few moments to consider how you can better leverage technology to improve your efficiency, productivity, and output. And we’ve got a few good ideas!

 

Lighting. It’s not something most people think about when dreaming up a high-tech office, but lighting plays a key role. In fact, lighting may be one of the most important elements in the entire workplace. That’s because it impacts visibility, focus, productivity, and overall health and well-being.

 

On average, people now spend 90 percent of their time indoors. A whopping 36 percent of this time is spent in the workplace. And as people spend more time inside, there is less exposure to the advantageous effects of natural light. This prevents employees from being as healthy and productive as they could be.

 

Thanks to advanced technology, there’s a way to get around this distinct disadvantage. Specifically, many companies are now turning to something called “melanopic lighting” to increase well-being and output in the office.

 

As Philips explains, “Melanopic light is the part of biological light which plays a major role in synchronizing the internal body clock in line with non-visual effects of light. When you properly design melanopic lighting in your building it brings the benefits of natural daylight indoors, enhancing visual comfort, well-being, and performance.”

 

In addition to melanopic lighting, there’s been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of smart LED lighting, which saves energy and affords each employee a level of versatility and control over the lighting within their workspace.

 

Furniture. For many decades – centuries even – there was very little technological innovation in the office furniture niche. A desk was a desk and a chair was a chair. There wasn’t really much need for innovation. But with the rise of the internet and the influx of virtual positions and career paths, there’s been an increase in the amount of time people spend at their desks on a daily basis over the past several years. In response, there’s a demand for versatile workspaces that are comfortable and ergonomically-friendly.

 

One of the biggest innovations in the office furniture niche is the standing desk, which is basically a dynamic desk that can raise or lower at the push of a button – allowing the user to stand or sit.

 

In addition to serving the practical purpose of allowing people to change positions and stay focused, standing desks provide a number of health benefits. This includes lower risk of weight gain and obesity; lower blood sugar levels; lower risk of developing heart disease; less back and neck pain; and improved mood and energy levels.

 

Finding a standing desk for your office has never been easier. Just check out the BTOD.com LinkedIn page, which has a lot of great educational content, pictures, and videos showing how standing desks function in any space.

 

Software and automation. It’s a SaaS world and we’re all just living in it. Today’s high-tech offices are built on the foundation of advanced office automation tools and sophisticated cloud-based software that streamlines mundane tasks and ensures optimum efficiency at every stage of every process. This includes options like:

 

• Expense and reimbursement. Days of collecting receipts and turning in piles of paper to get reimbursed by corporate are gone. Today’s offices use automated expense software that allows employees to simply log in, snap a few pictures, and get reimbursed. This is just one of many technologies driving the paperless office movement.
  
  

• Cloud file storage. No more physical filing cabinets. Today’s offices have more space thanks to cloud storage drives that allow businesses to keep 100 percent of their files and data in containerized virtual environments.
  
  

• Project management apps. There’s a hybrid mentality to work, and it’s permeating the workforce in 2021. If we’re being honest, most employees want the ability to work in the office and at home. Thanks to advanced project management and intranet solutions, this is easier than ever. Employees can access and share files from any device in any location. This allows for a seamless transition between a home office and a traditional corporate office.

 

Take Your Office to the Next Level

 

Today’s offices are more advanced and productive than ever before. And thanks to innovative new technologies, we’ll continue to see them become more and more efficient. As you think about ways to push your team forward, consider how technologies such as these can fit into your approach.