9 minute read
The office of the future comes from Lower Austria
Just in time for the return of office life Bene is presenting a new furniture line and offers interesting insights into the latest trends.
It is obvious that work life is not only changing in factories thanks to technological advancements but also in offices. How they will change is up for debate though. Over the last few years, a number of studies and surveys were published, all with highly different results. They range from dystopian scenarios were work is mostly done by machines and humans will become obsolete and unemployed, to optimistic outlooks that see the main use of artificial intelligence to make work easier and more pleasant. In 2018, Bene added the opinions of 40 international experts to the latest findings and summarised them in its “Future of Work” report. There are four key areas: What will the interaction of humans and machines look like? What does new work require from management culture? How do people experience their work, which meaning does it have to them? And the fourth area dealt with the architectural design of the workplace.
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Since then, Bene conducted a number of further interviews with experts, customers and partners, hosted panel discussions and webinars, in order to take a closer look at the evolution of work and the rooms it takes place in from various perspectives.
To explore these issues, together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), Bene surveyed 1,200 people from 34 countries about the current situation and the future of work. The findings have been compiled in the new “Challenge the Future of Work” report, which provides fresh insight and food for thought.
Artificial intelligence is considered a positive thing
One of the surveyed issues was the use of artificial intelligence. The majority of people don’t see it as a threat but as a positive thing – regardless of age, sex or how dynamic they consider their companies. It is also interesting to note that artificial intelligence with regards to an office environment is seen more positive than overall technologies of automation despite the majority of those surveyed believing that their employers are at best moderately prepared for the changes that the use of artificial intelligence will bring about. Another surprise were the answers regarding the meaning and purpose of work. 73 percent of respondents want to contribute their skills and want to identify with their company’s goals. This figure is considerably higher than expected after the results of the first report. It was also surprising that the age of the respondents played no role in this regard. “In the first Future of Work report we considered younger people to play a special role,” explains Michael Fried, Managing Director of Bene. “We underlined that the Generation Y has particularly high demands of their employers. But we have to revise this assumption now.
Photo: Bene GmbH The desire for self-expression and personal development at work – know-why instead of know-how – seems to be a genThe Parcs line launched a new era of an open, flexible office landscape in 2009. eral sign of times and not a
Shielded by Bene allows for physical distancing without keeping people apart.
characteristic of a particular group. Staff members who spend the majority of their lifetime at companies expect more than ever to get convincing answers when asking why they are doing their work, our findings show.”
Strict hierarchies make room for more flexibility
The survey confirms, however, the trend of moving away from strict hierarchies to more democratic, open and flexible forms of organisation. 91 percent of respondents want to work as independently as possible without too many checks and guidelines from their superiors. Almost as many people – 86 percent – want their bosses to delegate responsibility, to bank on collaboration and participation.
Flexibility in terms of where your work is done is also becoming more and more important. “A quiet place for focused working” is by far the most common answer when it comes to the question of what makes for a good working environment. “Regular physical meetings with the entire teams” comes second, followed by “space for informal chats”, “specific rooms for collaborations” and “communal events during work times”. “Constant virtual coordination” plays a subordinate role at best.
These findings are particularly interesting with regards to the months-long measures caused by the Covid crisis. They show that a mixture of closeness and distancing is needed. This is underpinned by a number of surveys that dealt with the wide-ranging yet involuntary home office experiments. The discussions surrounding the future of office work and the role of remote work has gained a few interesting new aspects.
Generally speaking, working from home has worked better than most people initially thought. A new survey from recruitment company Stepstone shows that more than half (53 percent) enjoyed working from home more than they thought they would. 41 percent said that they were working more effectively and were more productive, and 64 percent wish to work more often from home after the Covid crisis is over.
However, Bene Managing Director Michael Fried does not fear that offices will cease to exist sooner or later: The lockdown also showed the drawbacks of the “nice new mobile working environment”. 42 percent of those surveyed by Stepstone said they were working more at home than in the office. 34 percent said they took fewer breaks and 36 percent considered it arduous to only communicate digitally. Almost a fifth (19 percent) believes that the lack of an ergonomic workplace at home may be detrimental for their health. Other problems are distracting family members, a lack of necessary equipment and no clear separation of work and leisure time.
Based on the main occupations of all employed people in Austria, the Austrian Institute for Economic Research WIFO calculated a theoretical home office potential of about 45 percent in spring 2020.
Photo: Bene-GmbH
Ports received two design awards prior to its launch.
“I don’t believe that working from home will replace working in an office completely any time soon,” Fried says. “But I think it is possible that in the future people may go to the office instead of having to go to the office.”
Multifunctional, practical and stylish
Going to the office being a privilege? If you look at the interior design of Bene’s office in Vienna’s city centre, then it doesn’t sound too far-fetched. It is bright, friendly and inspiring, separated into different zones that have been set up for various tasks. The new furniture line “Ports” is the office’s cornerstone.
“The name Ports refers to the fact that the individual areas serve as multifunctional ports that cooperate in a network,” Fried explains. The line consists of three modules, Lounge, Table and Storage. At the first glance it looks similar to the “Parcs” line, which Bene launched in 2009 as a contrary concept to the angular and toned-down office furniture that was all the rage back then. By now, Parcs has become a classic.
Ports, which was developed with internationally renowned designers Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd, goes one step further by integrating multi-functionality directly into the furniture. Something that at first looks like a comfortable and chic lounge chair is also an office chair at the same time. The chair has a unique seat tilt mechanism allowing smooth transition from a relaxed, passive posture to a more upright, active position. The Ports Table can be converted in a flash from the traditional executive table into a desk, as a focal point for interaction and communication: The four-leg base of the table conceals a modern, electronic height adjustment mechanism, which transforms a workstation rapidly into the central point of an informal meeting. A power tray provides easy access to power and network connections. Ports Storage can serve as a private cloakroom with shelves, a mirror and refrigerator for individuals, or can be used functionally with an optionally integrated pinboard, shelf, whiteboard or a screen for teams.
Award-winning design
“Ports promises inspiring collaborative work and productive interaction, reflecting the high expectations of contemporary leadership. The pieces can be combined for optimal adaptability to the needs of individuals in a modern working environment,” says Fried. Design experts love the concept: Ports already received two renowned awards before its market launch – “Red Dot Design Award: Best of Best“ and the “iF Gold Award 2020“.
Furniture helps to keep social distance
Ports can also help with an ongoing issue that is affecting the design of all offices: Keeping distance. This applies to all Bene furniture, however.
“The question of how much closeness or distance is needed or necessary in an office has been there even before the Covid crisis,” Fried says. “It is something we look at intensively when designing our furniture. There are basically different factors at play, such as the cultural environment, corporate philosophy but also individual preferences and dislikes.” Right now, practical solutions are at the fore, of course: How can you combine a return to regular office life with the necessary hygiene and protection measures as well as health concerns. “The most important rule for working together is social distancing. But that isn’t always easy to follow in an office.”
In order to help with social distancing, Bene developed the system “Shielded by Bene” during the Covid crisis. It is a transparent shield from premium acrylic glass, which comes in various sizes and
Photo: Bene GmbH/David Payr
Michael Fried
can be placed vertically or horizontally, individually or in combination on desks, receptions, workplaces. It can also separate entire areas.
Furniture reduces stress
Another innovation that Bene launched this year focused on reducing noise in open-plan offices. Without a doubt, noise is one of the main factors that leads to disruption and stress in open-plan office layouts. A new study carried out by the research project Office 21 of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO on the topic of “smart office environments” confirms this. Bene’s Nooxs Think Tank, which was developed with PearsonLloyd just like the Ports line, ensures quietness.
The up to 2.65 metres high, free-standing, room-in-room system creates privacy in the open-plan office. The smart room module can be assembled in no time at all and is entirely self-contained: with integrated lighting and a ventilation system, it has no permanent connection to the building.
Another innovation in the Nooxs line, which was launched in 2019 and has a central place in Bene’s office, makes Fried particularly proud: Coffee Nooxs, created in cooperation with Swiss coffee corporation Nespresso, centres around its latest coffeemaker Momento and turns a simple tearoom into a stylish meeting point.
Furnished with a power connection and water tank, Coffee Nooxs can be used as a free-standing element without requiring any construction to install it. The design conceals a refrigerator and other support functions inside the body. Cups and glasses find a stylish home on the specially designed shelves and trays. The used dishes disappear on the small racks of a mobile caddy. The furniture can be moved to a new location at any time with little effort.
“In designing Coffee Nooxs together, we have succeeded in merging expertise from our two different fields to create an optimal solution for creative exchange combined with the pleasure of drinking coffee at the workplace. The cooperation has made it possible to create innovative coffee furniture that meets the demands of the modern workplace and, like our coffee solutions, can be adapted precisely to the needs of the respective environment”, says Wolfgang Eberhardt, Director Nespresso Professional at Nespresso Austria. ◆
