In the corporate world, flexible network enterprises will soon replace inflexible monolithic industrial structures, specialists say. Employees in these new flexible companies of the future will work according to their own rhythm to take full advantage of life. Attaining a balance in life will be the most important goal, according to research by Swedish specialists from the Universum International center. Flexible work hours satisfy the need to deal with the stress involved and give a sense of full control over one's own life.

Mobile
Business organizations increasingly feature geographically scattered structures. This is because they work for clients based in different places around the world. In-house computer networks, which used to keep employees tied to their desks, are receding into the past as LAN wireless networks become increasingly widespread, making it possible for employees to keep in touch outside the office. Broadband transmissions, mobile applications and Wi-Fi wireless networks enable access to office applications from home. These are excellent tools that support the development of telecommuting. According to researchers from the Empirica center in Bonn, Germany, at the end of 2002, around 20 million people telecommuted in Europe. This was twice as many as three years earlier. In Poland, telecommuting is also gaining enthusiasm; the largest number of telecommuters work for IT and consulting firms.

Open plan
An open-plan office arrangement reflects the new style and culture of work based on the equality of employees and promotes a model of open communication. Buildings with many small rooms limit the flow of information. Open-plan offices, on the other hand, make it possible to accommodate a larger number of people than in traditional offices. For example, 167 square meters of open-plan office space can hold 16 single-person rooms or 32 desks in the open plan. So there is a lot to fight for even though old habits die hard and the number of opponents of the open space formula is still considerable, both in Poland and elsewhere. A lot depends on the culture of work in a given company and the rules adopted.

Future companies will also feature more shared, spacious and well designed rooms supporting both teamwork and individual work. At the same time, quiet nooks and crannies free from ringing telephones and the buzz of conversation will help attain an ideal state of undisturbed concentration and complete immersion in work. The office of the future must be flexible and should take into account the needs of both the individual and the team.

We spend most of the day at work. That's why it is important that office space is arranged in a manner conducive to the professional development of employees and better communication. Designing the office of the future does not mean arranging the room so that it looks esthetic. The issue is rather to invest in a work model that will be followed in the future. A growing number of elements until now considered typical of households are appearing in offices. Kitchens and dining rooms, where employees can spend their lunch breaks, are already a standard feature.

Creativity
To boost employee innovation and creativity, a growing number of companies create non-standard conference rooms. For example, at Frank PR, in London's Camden Town, sand covers the floor in a conference room referred to as the Beach. "The presence of sand makes people think of a place in which they feel relaxed, comfortable and free," explains director Andrew Bloch. "We have discovered that meetings held on our Beach are much more productive." In a similar vein, French architect Edouard Francois, leader of the Green Architecture movement, has designed the Paris office of Enjoy Advertising Agency. It contains workstations from natural materials, and a cactus grows out of each desk. This modern way of thinking about office architecture will be increasingly popular in the future.

Hot desks
A well-equipped workstation is so expensive that it should never sit empty. Employees in some companies clear their desks every day so that someone else can work at them at any time. The technology of the future will enable individual profiles for hot desks to recognize the user after logging in. The heating, lighting and computer display will adjust automatically so that each employee can enjoy a work environment absolutely compatible with their needs. In an intelligent office of the future, along with hot desks, more versatile machines will also appear. Multifunctional peripherals (MPs) occupy less space and are more economical. Instead of a fax, photocopier, scanner and printer, it is more effective to buy a small device that fulfills all these functions.

The growing demand for professional office equipment will lead to increasingly attractive equipment design. "Over the next few years, we expect that office technology will become more compact and even integrated with office furniture. Equipment will be built into desks and walls," says Chris Eyre, product planning manager at Oki Europe. As demand grows, companies place greater stress on style, design and colors, which will be ergonomically adjusted to the office of the future. In open-plan offices, wireless technology will be increasingly common. As employee mobility increases, the number of traditional dedicated workstations will decrease. Desks of the future will resemble machines with built-in state-of-the-art technology rather than plain old boards with legs.