The rumors seem to be true, the traditional workplace is slowly fading – making way for unconventional spaces such as coworking spaces and serviced offices.

The emerging trends and today’s technology seemed to be the reason why more and more organizations are turning their backs against traditional offices. Experts have stated several studies that highlight the deterioration of conventional offices due to the pressure of rent escalations and the fluctuating office space density per worker.

There’s also a rising demand for balance between work and life coming from today’s workforce. A survey conducted among more than 2,000 adults during the year 2015 have reported that 38% of employees missed live events because of a bad work-life balance.

Amongst all the aforementioned factors, there is one major reason that drives and pushes workspaces to innovation – the Millennials.

By the year 2020, Millennials would take up to one third of the global labor force and by the year 2025, 75% of the global labor force will come from this generation.

Born from between 1980 and 2000, the Millennials are arguably the most tech savvy generation in history and though highly educated, they face debt and global competition for the best jobs. They entered the market with fast-changing business cycles and increasing demand for new skill.

Despite of this, a survey conducted by Manpower Group have said that two-thirds of their participants are optimistic about their immediate job prospect. And though they are being shaped by the world of labor, they are redefining the employer-employee relationship. Moreover, they have made a big impact to today’s traditional workplace and office design trends.

Over the past year, we saw several companies take quite the unconventional path in terms of office space. The world marveled at the flexibility and creativity coworking spaces brought to the world with its alternative work areas and synergistic layout. These communal areas allow employees to choose where and when they work, a variety of desks and workspaces are made readily available so that they have the freedom to choose what suits them best.

More and more businesses are adapting designs such as dynamic spaces and homestyle comfort design to cater both the needs of its operations and their employees.

Majority of the demand for unconventional work areas were driven by the Millennials’ knack for atypical offices. They favor flexible furniture over mundane cubicles for it allows them to collaborate more with their colleagues. Moreover, they find flexible work arrangements to be more likely conducive to productivity, innovation and engagement. Experts’ call this as ‘work casual’ integrated into the physical designs of offices.

Though constantly undergoing advancements, Millennials know that the technology is here to stay. Hence, designers and architects are incorporating technology into modern office furniture such as docking stations, cable management systems and easy to use power points.

With today’s technology and the increasing demand for a healthier environment, work is changing. It always had and always will, yet in the end, each and every one of us – no matter what generation – simply want to work in a space that somehow reflects our personality and allows us to be more productive.

To Millennials, there are other far more important things than just the paycheck. Hence, they are demanding for a flexible and well-appointed workplace.

Think your office already has what it takes to attract Millennials? If not, we’ll show you the perfect workspace for the young generation!

American author and presidential speechwriter James Humes once said that the art of communication is the language of leadership. And though certain leadership characteristics are inherent traits, effective communication is a learned skill.

For an organization to be successful, good communication practices are needed. It is the foundation of every aspect of the business. Whether it’s a large scale company inside private offices or startups in coworking spaces – no matter the size, without it, the basic functions of the management such as planning, organizing, motivation and controlling will not go smoothly.

Miscommunication is an error most of us are already familiar with. Even in our daily lives, we tend to miscommunicate with one another. From the errors between the sender and receiver, to the ambivalent language used to words that has multiple meanings and connotations; a lot could go wrong in a simple conversation between two people.

These drawbacks, though simple, can majorly affect business operations. Poor communication can hit both customers and suppliers. Staff morale can go down when relevant information aren’t relied timely. It can increase absenteeism by impacting motivation and can escalate levels of stress.

According to a survey conducted among 1,400 corporate executives and employees, eighty-six percent of the respondents have said that the lack of collaboration or ineffective communication contributes to workplace failures. In addition to this, the aforementioned study also discusses how common these issues are to various industry sectors. Its authors says that these miscommunications can slow down projects, productivity and has the ability to ultimately impact both client and employee relation.

Data from other reports have showcased how costly poor communication can be. Over an estimated $37 billion are spent on employee misunderstandings regarding company policies and business processes are in both the US and UK and companies lost a cumulative cost of $26,041 per worker per year to productivity losses resulting from communication barriers.

Conversely, the abovementioned report stated statistics demonstrating the positive impact of good workplace communication.

Companies who practice highly effective communication among their leaders receive 47% higher total returns to shareholders over the past five years compared to those who have least effective communicators. In addition to this, American electronics provider, Best Buy found out that high employee engagement scores result to better store performance – for every percentage point it raised employee engagement, there was a $100,000 increase in the operating income of their individual stores annually.

Improved workplace communication has the ability to change the game for your business. Several studies have said that this can deliberately increase a worker’s productivity.  Effective work group communication can lead to significant improvement in the overall performance of a company. Moreover, experts have found a strong link between organizations observing effective communication and the productivity ratings of their employees.

It increases employee job satisfaction by empowering the workforce with upward communication – information flows upward and would usually entail feedback. The more employers are able to listen to their employees, the better. Job satisfaction can also decrease rates of absenteeism and turnover.

There are several ways businesses across various industries can improve the communication within their workplace.

Assessing the current communication utilized can give you an idea on the areas that needs to be improved. For example, your team is struggling to keep up with conversations through email. Why not try social intranet solutions and collaboration tools. Listing down your workplace communication methods can give you a clear idea on what to do next.

Internal communication is essential so it’s only apt to check in with your employees regularly. You can set meetings with them to discuss their thoughts on a project and task. By doing this, you are somehow implementing an open door policy between you and your employees – they are likely to feel more comfortable to bring matters to your attention.

Startups and teams in coworking spaces can take advantage of the open plan layout to improve their communication. Unlike in traditional workplaces, members of the team can easily approach their superiors to discuss tasks and project updates with them. Readily available communal areas can set a relaxed vibe during discussions.

The group’s internal communication can be strengthened by attending weekly happy hours or team-building events. In addition to this, each member can improve their communication skills by interacting with other members within the vicinity.

As per James Humes, leadership’s language is the art of communication. It is a skill that can be learned and improved throughout one’s life time – just like swimming and biking.

Hone your skill and communicate with us today!

According to recent studies, an average person would usually spend 22.4% of their lives working. Considering that the average working week falls around 40 hours, that equates 1,960 hours per year once the holidays are deducted and assuming that they start their career at the age of 21 and retires once they hit 65, that’s a span of 44 working years. Using the same 409-hour working week, the final number is 91,250 hours.

And when someone – or something – spends 91, 250 hours inside an office or a workspace, he or she is bound to be affected by the environment present within its walls. The design of the space matters for it has the power to influence individuals engaged in the surroundings – be it indirectly contributing a new insight or forming extremities.

And with the majority of today’s working demographic devoting their efforts in competing with one another, each and every one of the players are on the hunt for ways to leverage innovation in their respective teams. One practical way of reaching office design goals is by being thoroughly understanding of how work space designs matter.

Well-established architects around the world have said that innovative spaces should be able to strengthen interactions, communication,  as well as collaborations. Its design and structure should be open, transparent and contextually responsive. There is a growing understanding amongst the majority that breakthroughs are usually the result of a greater collective working on formulating innovations. People need people – together, talented individuals create greater possibilities of achieving brilliant solutions.

Acclaimed author and expert John Seely Brown says that organizations who are constantly spearheading innovations don’t just possess visionary leadership and organizational commitment to creating new ideas, they are also supported by a place that underpin innovation. And with workspaces acting as the stage for overall work experience, it needs to be able to be effective on all fronts – from supporting its operations with the appropriate technology and tools down to positively influencing its culture.

The existing symbiotic relationship amongst the said components can create a multi-dimensional aid to successful innovations if integrated seamlessly. When done right, offices can both inspire and facilitate breakthroughs.

The presence of co-working spaces, incubators and other innovation centers is proof that there is a growing need for offices that cradle the process of revolution. And though each kind carries a significant distinction that varies them form one another, there is a recognizable similarity in them – purpose and function.

Overriding aesthetics, architects and several designers have come back to the core of designs strengthening the “humanness” of the office. Gone are the flashy furnishings putting less emphasis on style and focusing its efforts on what the members needs – as a team and as individuals.

The well-known movement of coworking spaces prides itself in opening new ways of communication and sharing. Offering members a wide range of spaces for several unique activities in one place, providers have collaborated with those who will potentially use them. They have elevated their needs and ambitions – elevating employees and guests.

As the rest of the world continue to empower innovation as a new way to support emerging markets and create more jobs, the importance of innovative spaces will continue to rise. These versatile offices and its dynamic environment now serve as key to sustainable business growth.

Gain access to a wolrd-class contemporary serviced offices and welcome breakthroughs into your doors.