by Shane Henson — August 31, 2013—OFM, a U.S.-based furniture manufacturer for business, government, schools, hospitals, and churches, has identified 10 workplace trends that can be seen in today’s office furniture. The way desks, chairs, cubicles, and other furniture have changed in recent years tells important things about broader shifts in how people work, says OFM.
According to OFM, today’s 10 workplace trends are:
- Businesses emphasize collaboration. Workplaces are becoming flatter, with less hierarchy and more emphasis on working together. As a result, office furniture is being designed for more casual collaboration such as modular desks, which can be arranged and rearranged in a number of different configurations.
- Everyone is expected to get their hands dirty. CEOs no longer rely on a secretary for their grunt work. Executives are more hands on, answering e-mails and checking their tablets. As a result, executive chairs are now being designed with tuck-away tablets for CEOs to work on their iPads and smart phones.
- People are always working. Whether on a break, eating lunch, or waiting in a lobby, workers need to be able to answer a call, check e-mail, or browse the Internet. As a result, comfortable seating options with arm rests are designed for even the break room.
- Workplaces are more creative. In the old days, companies and organizations were focused on efficiency. With so many American businesses working on intellectual property, workplaces are now designed to encourage creativity. That means office furniture is becoming more colorful, with more artistic options.
- Everyone is using lots of different kinds of technology. Instead of just having a computer on their desk as in the past, employees are now liable to be using a computer, a tablet and a smart phone, sometimes all at the same time. Many office desks are now designed with two tabletop grommets to keep tech wires organized and out of the way.
- Companies are trying to be more spontaneous. Businesses no longer need just a set of office chairs for a group meeting. They need seating that can be configured on a fly for an ad hoc group of employees from different departments working on a project. That means office furniture needs to be more versatile, having more than one purpose, like chairs that have a swivel tablet for meetings that can be stowed when not in use, making the chair a great option in other settings, too.
- Each worker is more important. Companies today are smaller, meaning each individual employee is more important. Today’s managers work harder to prevent employees from leaving, and one way they do this is by offering a comfortable work environment. As a result, office chairs for the everyday employee are now more comfortable with things like molded-form soft seating that is ergonomically designed.
- Everyone is working longer hours. The days of 9-to-5 with an hour for lunch and three breaks are in the past. Today, chairs need to be designed with ergonomics in mind to allow workers to sit in them for long periods of time. That means office chairs are being designed for more than eight hours of use per day and come with as many as 16 different ergonomic configurations for unparalleled customization.
- Companies want to show they value the environment. Companies are working to show that they care about the environment regardless of what industry they are in. Using furniture with low chemical emissions made from recyclable material is one way to show this corporate commitment, so procuring Greenguard-certified office furniture is becoming increasingly popular.
- More people are working from home. With an increasing number of companies allowing employees to work from remote locations, more people are working from their home office, which means there is a greater need for office furniture designed for home use, many times to fit smaller spaces. There are now more options than ever to design a home office that is stylish, yet efficient and comfortable.
