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How can unified communications improve future office space?

Look forward to working with your new coworker, Mother Nature, because you'll be seeing her a lot more in your future office.

From biophilic design greening up offices, to donning virtual reality headsets at your desk, what are some of the way office space is set to change in the near future, and how can unified communications help facilitate?

What will future offices look like?What will offices look like in a few years?

What will future offices look like?

In short, green. Natural elements are creeping their way into offices, says Inc Magazine. Biophilic design - inspired by nature -  will become a staple of forward thinking companies. Think fewer pot plants, more green walls and rooftop gardens covered in living, breathing vegetation.

The benefits aren't just visual. Increased collaboration and productivity, lowered stress levels and enhancing overall well-being are just some of the benefits highlighted in a study by the University of Western Sydney on biophilic design in the workspace. Couple that with the right communication tools to enable this collaboration, and the office of the future with be a lean, green, high performance machine.

Where will people work?

Versatility is the name of the game in the office of the near future. Hot desks, standing desks, sound proof booths - these are just some of the workspace options future employees will have at their fingertips, says Raconteur Media. Even virtual reality -  tech that is currently optimised for gaming - will have numerous office applications in productivity and personal development, letting people work in an immersive, distraction free environment.

But why should companies give employees such freedom? Well, there's advantage in letting people work at the places they function best in, says architect and design consultancy firm Gensler. When employees find that perfect work spot, their productivity and job satisfaction goes through the roof. With workers moving around in the office, employers need to find solutions to keep in touch with them, no matter where they choose to work.

When employees find that perfect work spot, their productivity and job satisfaction goes through the roof.

Who will they work with?

Not only are companies opening their offices to new designs, they're also opening their spaces to other people and businesses. Termed 'shared space', workers rub shoulders with people from different backgrounds and organisations, in the pursuit of collaboration between business entities like never before.

"People are looking for more interaction at work and in other public settings, including restaurants and hotels where large shared tables are making an appearance," says Steve Delfino, vice president of Corporate Marketing and Product Management at Teknion speaking to Fast Company.

Keeping up with dynamic workforce requires tools such as VoIP, text messaging, chat and email. Unified communications pools all these resources together, so that you can see where you're employees are and connect with them at the push of a button.

To find out more, get in touch with Fonality today.