by Shane Henson — August 19, 2011—Research from Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions (GWS), a provider of facilities, commercial real estate and energy management for many of the world’s largest companies, has revealed there is a gap between the amount of teamwork that today’s workplace can support and the amount that office workers anticipate using in 2020. This gap will require facilities personnel responsible for designing or redesigning employees’ workspaces to think outside the box—or better yet, outside the cubicle—to promote collaboration between employees and boost productivity.
The study, Collaboration 2020, which reports results from 1,700 respondents in seven countries, shows that office workers expect to spend more time working in team spaces that incorporate collaborative technologies, such as interactive digital screens, touch surfaces and live video streaming from locations around the world. This shift to working in virtual teams using a range of technologies is coupled with a decrease in the amount of time that office workers expect to spend at their desks, on the phone, or in traditional meeting rooms.
The type of workspaces seen in the office is also likely to change, the study found. The frequent use of team spaces that incorporate collaborative technologies will increase from a fifth of people who currently report high usage to 52% in 2020. However, people expect to be using traditional meeting rooms far less—40% said they currently use them regularly, compared to 27% who expect to be regularly using them in 2020. The use of the desk phone is also set to decrease from the half of people who use them frequently today to just a third.
The use of video communication and real-time technologies is also set to increase substantially. White collar workers expect to be using web conferencing, instant messaging and video conferencing far more by 2020. The number of people regularly using web conferencing is expected to triple from 19% currently to 57%. Office workers also expect to be using collaborative technologies that are still only at the developmental stage. For example, just under half (44%) expect to be using three-dimensional video conferencing in 2020, which would allow users to perceive depth on screen for a more realistic image.
