You may have heard the term “smart office” being thrown around lately. It’s a buzzword that seems to be on everyone’s mind as employees are migrating back to in-office work. What is a smart office, though, and why could it be a good business decision for your company? Sure, you might already have standing desks, modern video conferencing, and other smart workplace technology, but a smart office is more than just the technology.
What is a smart office?
A smart office is defined as a high-tech workplace that uses analytics and connected technology to help people work more efficiently and productively. Most people picture a smart office as just the technology around the desks and workspaces, but there is much more to it.
Utilizing the technology that is already installed in your office (or new technology you are considering) to create an intelligent space begins with thinking about efficiency.
What is the best way to arrange a group of workstations so that the distance to necessary amenities and technologies is optimized? How can environmental factors play a role in day-to-day productivity? How can an open concept encourage creativity without creating distractions? These are all questions to consider when building out your smart office plan.
Why is building a smart office a good idea?
There are many reasons why building a smart office is a fantastic idea for your workplace. At a basic level, it gives your company an excuse to audit and update technologies that may have been holding back productivity and take inventory on what needs to be replaced.
In addition, a smart office provides incredible communication and collaboration opportunities. Oftentimes, poor communication across teams and interpersonal issues throughout the office lead to lackluster performance. Improving not only the infrastructure of how desks are set up, but the file sharing capabilities of your employees, helps to improve communication and collaboration.
With increased collaboration and communication, overall productivity will increase. Low morale can be a huge drain on the work environment. Increasing team visibility both in work and in physical sight lines will help to improve overall mood. Plus, companies that heavily invest in new infrastructure benefit from increased productivity and overall growth.
Recently, opportunities for growth and advancement surpassed compensation on what is most important for employees to stay at a company. Investing in infrastructure that nurtures growth and helps employees operate more efficiently will increase retention.
Finally, technologies in a smart office can save you money. Energy efficient monitors, optimized systems, and climate control like smart shades help to cut costs. With all of these reasons in mind, why wouldn’t you upgrade to a smart office?
What technology goes into a smart office?
There are many different factors that go into a smart office, but we will focus on five that are especially important. These facets of the smart office provide productivity, community, and energy savings for employees and the company.
Day-to-Day Infrastructure
This category includes standing desks, monitors, conference room infrastructure, and so much more. These are the physical things that employees interact with on a daily basis that can improve efficiency and productivity.
Cloud Sharing Technologies
This can be scheduling, file sharing, or any other cloud solution. Creating a streamlined, collaboration-forward tech stack for your office is key for productivity. This can also help to efficiently schedule employees so that there is less overlap on tasks, meetings, and other pain points associated with old offices. These features allow for employees to work from anywhere and keep their schedule flexible.
Incentivization
Incentivizing employees, or the “gamification” of their workday, is a relatively new part of a smart office, but one that effectively pushes forward productivity. Creating goals and orienting workloads towards overarching and clearly communicated “finish line” keeps employees motivated and happier. Gamification is a great way to build a culture of productivity while getting increased buy-in from employees.
Intelligent Security/Infrastructure
From security to accessibility, creating intelligent systems improves the overall functionality of an office. Cloud technologies and high-resolution cameras give employees a sense of security in the off hours, and ensure that only those that are supposed to be in the office are in the office. This can also help with planning out the space, as you can see overall utilization of the office. Office maps and signs provide accessibility to new employees, visitors, and landmarks for veteran employees. Improving the overall accessibility through signs helps to make the office a friendlier, and more welcoming space.
Climate
One important piece of smart offices that is often overlooked is climate solutions. This can be one of the most critical areas, though, for employee comfort and savings on energy. Nobody likes to be too hot or too cold, and utilizing smart solutions such as integrated thermostats or smart blinds can ensure that the space is operating at peak efficiency while keeping a comfortable temperature. Smart blinds can also automatically open and close, which saves energy in workspaces.
Work with AW Treat for your Smart Office
At AW Treatments, we value the comfort, look, and functionality of your space. We have worked with mass dwelling units, museums, offices, and many more spaces to optimize their smart office solutions. We specialize in creating the climate side of smart offices, with a variety of smart blinds and automatic shades that can be connected to your command center.
We’ve been working with smart shading solutions for over a decade, and we’re excited to bring our expert installation team and knowledge to your office! Find out more about our process, and discover products that can help you increase the efficiency of your smart office on our website.
