Exploring the future workplace: results of the futures forum study

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper describes the set-up and results of the “futures forum” study. Through different methodological approaches, the future of work and its implications for the future (physical) workplace are explored. What will our office workplace look like in 2025 and how best to support future work, in alignment with the different organisational support services [human resources, information technology (IT), facility management and real estate]? Design/methodology/approach Different stakeholders were involved through different methods. First, a global literature study summed up some of the contemporary views on future directions and future studies. Second, focus groups were held with office end-users and employees of 11 participating organisations. Third, a Delphi study was applied to a multidisciplinary expert group. And finally, results were further developed in a “pre-design” workshop. The “forum” refers to the consortium of private and public partners that supported the study. The research involved large (>1,000 employees) knowledge-based and administrative organisations. Findings The fast-developing digitalisation will have substantial repercussions for work processes and environments. New types of work and work processes are appearing and need to be accommodated. Work will be organised in a more dynamic manner to adapt to the rapid changes in the market. Automation will lead to a continuous decrease of administrative processes which leaves more complex, knowledge-intensive work in organisations. Digitalisation and technology will lead to new ways of working and other necessary capabilities in the organisation with great emphasis on IT and technology-based activities. This dynamic environment brings the demand for an agile response of the support services in the organisation and a work environment that can accommodate changes easily. The main findings centre around eight themes for the future workplace that were considered to be the main, joint priorities of support services. These themes are changes in work, move towards digitalisation, adaptive potential of organisations, liberation of old structures, attract and retain employees, self-employment and self-marketing and future employee needs. Because of the dimensions of the research topic, a broad thematic perspective was applied so a further in-depth exploration might be valuable. The stakeholders that were involved in the data collection were mostly contacted through research partners, which might narrow research findings. Originality/value Many “future studies” have been taken place in the past, and they all apply a different research scope. This study aimed specifically at large office organisations in The Netherlands and on the implications for the future workplace that are to be addressed in a communal way by the organisations’ support services.

Potential Scenarios and Hazards in the Work of the Future: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed and Gray Literatures

“…Useful supplemental literature was identified and characterized ( Table 1C ). Using focus groups and a Delphi method, DeBruyne and Gerritse (2018) identified various scenarios of the future of work and their implications for the future physical workplace. Their findings suggest most workers will spend more time outside a traditional office environment by 2025, splitting their production time between the office, home, and elsewhere.…”

“…Hazards identified by DeBruyne and Gerritse (2018) include the danger of being connected 24/7 and the deterioration of social cohesion within the organization. In addition, labor contracts are expected to shorten, and the number of guaranteed and long-term jobs is expected to diminish.…”

The New "Covid-19" Home Office Worker: Evolving Computer-Human Interactions and the Perceived Value of Workplace Technology

“…Immersive virtual experiences could provide adequate representations of physical environments, specifically office environment [18], that enables more immersive humancomputer interaction. The focus on the future of workplaces digitised environments could provide this with 32% of the survey respondents being optimistic about the use of more immersive VR type tools as a means to continue to work from home [3].…”

“…The nature of the workforce and workplace is complex and highly dynamic where there has been very little research that examines specifically the impact of the physical space on the individual knowledge worker [2]. Researchers have undertaken Dephi [3] and PRISMA lead research [4] analysing hundreds of existing related publications, papers and industry reports to digest down to critical thematic narratives and conclusions. The same study [4] established that the focus for assessing workplace productivity and worker efficiency came from researchers in the fields of psychology 34%, architecture 33%, management 10%, real estate 8%, engineering 7%, building physics 8%, health 4%.…”

Efficiency of Facility Management: Theoretical Aspects

“…Vadovaujantis atliktais tyrimais (Hills & Levy, 2014;Bortoluzzi, Carey, McArthur, & Menassa, 2018;Schultz, 2017;Saurin, Ratcliffe, & Puybaraud, 2008;Bruyme & Gerritse, 2018), kuriais siekiama išsiaiškinti, kaip užtikrinti efektyvų darbą per darbo aplinką, pateikiamos išvados, apibendrinančios reikiamų sprendimų priėmimą įmonėms, siekiančioms veiklos efektyvumo (7 paveikslas).…”