A growing percentage of workers are earning a living without going to a workplace. This is thanks to the way home internet connections let you deliver your work from any location in a matter of seconds, and since so many modern jobs are all about information there’s no need to meet with someone in person at any point in the process. Because of this transformation of the job market, the nature of the office is transforming just as much.
The Home Office
Different people have different needs for their living space, but when you work from home one of those needs is an office space with a good home internet connection. Since most of a work-from-home job happens on computers and online, it’s important to have a place to put your laptop or desktop where you won’t be disturbed or distracted too much to concentrate. It also helps to have a comfortable, durable chair you can sit in for hours at a time and a solid desk with enough room for all the accessories you need.
The Away Office
Many telecommuting employees don’t work from home at all. Instead, they spend their time in a public but quiet space with a free Wi-Fi connection like a café or a public library. This change in environment is what many workers need to focus on their job, and the locations they choose offer comfortable seats, coffee on demand, nice furniture, references, and other amenities you don’t always get from home.
The New Business Office
Telecommuting is also changing what the business space looks like for employees who bother to show up. With fewer workers coming in every day, companies are renting smaller office spaces and dividing up what they have into more private offices and quiet, soundproofed rooms for meetings and conversations. Since remote workers can live just about anywhere, some offices are also adding basic sleeping pods and showers so employees who fly to the office for a meeting have somewhere they can stay.
The nature of the office is changing because the nature of work is changing. As more people do their own thing by working from home or out of their favorite coffee shop, their needs change and their preferences matter more. The old soulless cubicles are out, and today’s employees get to enjoy a personalized home office that makes full use of their sense of style and a strong home internet connection. And when remote workers do bother to come to the central office, they’re finding it a much more interesting place.