The coronavirus outbreak in 2020 changed everything for us. It began a new age—one where we worked remotely.
Now, about half (45%) of full-time employees report still doing so, either partly or fully, in September 2022. While many employees welcomed this change, some still prefer to be at the workplace. Therefore, recently, the number of companies offering flexible working arrangements has increased, including remote working options for both full-time and part-time employees, and hybrid-remote schedule models.
Regardless of where you and your team members are working, it’s essential to stay abreast of new office and workplace technologies. Here are the top 5 office necessities you’ll need for the future of work in 2023.
The good news is you should be able to take full advantage of these options regardless of whether you plan to work from home, go back to an office, or adopt a hybrid work schedule.
Essentials to upgrade your workspace
Support your employees, in and out of the office
Workers today aren’t always happy with their job or office environment.
- According to research, 88% of employees feel stressed at work at least sometimes.
- According to research, one of the top drivers of burnout in employees was a “lack of support or recognition from leadership…”
Luckily, there are “Experience Platform” apps like How Now and OfficeVibe that you can try, so your employees feel more supported by leadership. They can provide help for your entire organisation, or to specific groups within your organisation, such as your work-from-home team, your customer service team, or your sales or marketing team.
Get your employees upgraded hardware as well, whether they work in the office or at home. Outdated PCs, laptops, and even phones slow productivity and efficiency, cost more to maintain, suffer from numerous issues, and eventually will affect your business. Upgraded setups and laptops, like the Dell Latitude E7450, will enhance your employees’ productivity and offer better communication and security, better work quality, and reduced costs.
Lighten up your workspace
If you’ve recently downsized the office, or even if you are right smack in the middle of your office property search, it may be time to reconsider the lighting situation.
Natural light increases productivity and all-around health. Be sure to either buy an office with plenty of natural light, or if you already have chosen an office space, you can look into installing a skylight, or simply move employees’ desks closer to the windows.
If you got to work in a cloudy spot, like an office space in Seattle, investing in some full-spectrum natural light bulbs is a great alternative to actual natural light.
Install standing desks
If you haven’t already started using a standing workstation, consider adding one to your 2023 budget now.
A standup desk not only increases your overall level of physical activity but also offers numerous health benefits and often reduces back pain.
The most common type of standup desk is the height-adjustable model, which means you can alter the height of your desk to adapt it to your needs. This type of desk can be used for working at home or in an office environment. Some models even have wheels so they can easily be moved to a new space or room.
Get into Upskilling
As we head into the future, research suggests that employers will favour applicants with skills gained through continuous education. Thus, it’s a good time to learn new things, aka upskill.
Examples of upskilling might be:
- Watching a webinar demonstrating tips and tricks of the trades from well-known business leaders in your industry
- Taking a course from Coursera on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to improve your coding skills.
- Going to an online conference to hear about new developments in your field.
Take a minute to think about the skills employers would find most valuable in your field of work, and then dive into learning more about that skill! There are numerous online and even free resources out there to level up your knowledge.
Upgrade your office software
Office suites and software tailored specifically for your business may help boost productivity. Finding the perfect new software can be a game changer for employee satisfaction as well. It’s just a matter of finding the ideal platform for your company’s niche needs.
For example, smaller accountancy practices may want to consider using Freshbooks.com, while real estate agencies may want to use MyEListing.com to power their listing maps.
Get ahead of the game for 2023
As we continue our journey back to the workplace, it’ll be well worth your while to go through this list of essentials, so that you’re fully prepared to revitalise your career in 2023.
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