Tech Trends of 2016: Designing the Workplace of Tomorrow

Image © Gensler

Editor’s note: this blog is part of a series on 2016 tech trends.

As mentioned in our last post on Tech Meta Trends, today we are kicking off our summer series on the 12 trends emerging in the tech industry’s workplace. These trends were developed by a diverse group of people from across the NW region who brought their unique perspectives, thoughts, ideas, research and writing to this project.

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Designing with Office Heroes: Lessons from a Network of Startup Professionals

Prezi / Image © Michael Townsend.

They’re the unsung heroes in the workplace: the “Jack and Jill of all trades” in emerging and startup companies who help keep an office running, doing everything from project management to managing payroll and operations. Over the course of two years, Gensler has engaged with a professional network known as the Office Heroes League (OHL). This network is comprised of over 600 office managers, administrative/executive assistants, and office professionals from various companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. The growth and success of the network over a short time has been attributed to the need for connecting individuals within these roles, gaining advice and resources to drive positive organizational growth and change.

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Tech Meta Trends of 2016: The Heart of Workplace Today

Image © Gensler

Editor’s note: this blog is part of a series on 2016 tech trends.

For the foreseeable future, technology will remain a driving force in our economy. It’s changed the way we approach the world, our lives and our communities. It’s a state of mind – a creative lifestyle based on personal storytelling with a community conscious. As designers for the tech industry, we know the process can be like designing for mental athletes – performance matters, and every day is a journey of achievement. So what kind of spaces help these individuals continue to shape the future?

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Too Much Information: The Unintended Consequences of a Hyper-Connected Workplace

Image © Anna Dziubinska. In a world that’s constantly on the go, how can the office assist in providing employees with the balance they desperately seek?

It’s open season for the workplace.

The UK has one of the highest percentage of open plan work environments in the world, and has, on the surface, appeared used to and comfortable with this way of working for quite some time. Look a little deeper, however, and this may not be entirely true.

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A Workplace Designed for the Innovation Economy

Image © Gensler

Fueled by new technologies, global markets, urbanization and changing demographics, the ability to drive new innovation is becoming an essential requirement for organizations to stay competitive today. The subject of innovation has dominated publications like the Harvard Business Review over the past five years, producing a steady stream of articles on subjects like “how to achieve innovation,” “how to find radical innovation” or “how to use clever collaboration to achieve innovation” every issue. All the signs point to the same realization… disrupt or be disrupted is the ethos of our time.

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