6 Technology Trends That Will Change The Workplace

The way we work is changing and, of course, technology plays an important role in that change. In fact, technology is the enabling factor that allows anyone, at any time, to complete work from anywhere with an Internet connection. As technology becomes more integrated into the office, it will continue to help people to work and think more effectively and efficiently. According to experts, there are 6 technology trends that will change the workplace.

When considering the technology and the future of the office, it is important to recognize that we are moving more and more towards an individual collaborative economy. As a result, coworking facilities have expanded rapidly. These environments are carefully and intentionally designed to help individual workers perform their work or conduct business.

What does the future hold for us about how and where we work?

By 2018, the offices will continue to adopt flexible work options, and with this, the screens and telephone conference facilities will be used even more. The meeting rooms will be relegated to the background; instead, workers will reserve rooms designed specifically for specific types of meetings. These will include multipurpose slate rooms, creative rooms, relaxation rooms and concentration rooms.

6 technology trends that will change the workplace

1.- The Cloud

The cloud will continue to feed connected devices, services and applications throughout the company and, in fact, is key for remote workers. For these tools and personal devices that facilitate mobility, there will be security implications and ramifications. All organizations will have some type of policy and procedure related to access to data outside corporate boundaries so that workers could access the data on their personal devices.

2.- Speech Recognition

Another technology still little used in the workplace is digital voice control. We talk faster than we write and voice recognition is intuitive and adapts to the user. This means that voice assistants learn abbreviations or proper names, and can be instructed to create frequently used commands and optimizes workflows.

3.- Ambient Intelligence

Like autonomous vehicles, the office of the future will also allow workers to better manage the complexities of work, allowing the office to respond in real time to human activities, creating a better sense of comfort, safety, security and productivity.

Therefore, an application in the workplace can reserve a desk, review food and handle messages. Within the building, artificial intelligence will be able to calculate for workers and teams where to reserve seats so that they can sit together and work more easily.

4.- The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things offers a myriad of new ways for technology to impact work. Smart apps will allow team members to know who is in the office, or what meeting and teleconferencing rooms are available and when. These rooms can automatically and uninterruptedly bring remote participants to the meeting, retrieve notes from the board of previous meetings, as well as adjust lighting and room climate.

5.- Credential technology

Companies are moving towards expanded use of credentialing technology. The phones already have a fingerprint scanner and a camera with the ability to identify the owner. Why not use that technology in a reasonable way to provide credentials for everything we do? As credentialing increases, there will be greater identification and, therefore, the tracking of people in space, through cellular devices that use the physical characteristics of the individual and providing additional security.

6.- Augmented Reality

We have just taken advantage of location awareness services within the office. Currently, a system similar to GPS for interiors is being tested, which would mean applications of “augmented reality” for offices. With geospatial accuracy, even the mapping of power outlets, the time spent on locating empty desks, available meeting rooms, colleagues and even offices could be drastically reduced. Employees can even put on a VR headset to “come to work”, appearing as a virtual “ghost” in a 3D version of their real office.

According to experts, changes in the workplace and advances in technology will continue to drive each other, facilitating the reconciliation of work and personal life.