What’s the New Open Office? 5 Workplace Trends to Consider
September 21, 2015
By: Matt Tarpey In the past couple of years, hearing that an organization was instituting a new open office floor plan started to become almost commonplace. Far from the fringe trend it started as, the open office is now a go-to way for companies to attempt to improve their employee experience and revamp their workplace culture. Whether it actually achieves that goal has been hotly contested.
Open offices aren’t for everyone, and they’re certainly not the only thing employers are testing in an effort to increase their workers’ satisfaction. So, what’s the new “open office”?
Here are five of the newest workplace trends:
1. StartUp Culture
In a way, open office floor plans are a part of a larger trend brought about by the recent boom in startups. For these small, young companies, offering competitive salaries isn’t always fiscally possible – so many of them have attempted to make up for that by offering eye-catching perks and a looser, more inclusive work atmosphere. The strategy worked, and as a result, many larger, more established companies are now borrowing the model.
2. Increased Role of HR
To design and enact this new focus on employee satisfaction, many organizations are relying on their HR departments – adding to the trend of HR’s growing contribution to business and strategy decisions.