Office of the Future

What's the point of an office? In this submission, I thought about the concept of an "office" as a place that: a) supports you doing your best work, whatever that may look like, b) supports collaboration between you and your teammates to achieve similar goals, and c) inspires you to push forward and learn new skills, ultimately benefiting the work and the team. The office of the future shouldn't just consider desk jobs, but how people with different jobs and backgrounds can work together harmoniously.

The Office of the Future should be accessible to people from various backgrounds and experience, personalized for how YOU like to do your work, and fun to be in. I'm envisioning a designated space for each person to set up however they want (kind of like a room inside a house) and common space/meeting rooms for collaboration. Like to be surrounded by plants while you work? What about a baking station to make cookies at as you think through problems? Go for it!

Although we can chat online and send e-mails super quickly, I believe good old face-to-face communication is the best way to get things done. Technology should be a tool for communicating and getting things done faster, not replace real conversations with people entirely. With that said, office technology should work seamlessly and easily - no VPN issues, awesome Wi-Fi connection, and minimal software hiccups. :) A centralized place where everyone can chat and share ideas and inspiration is important to me as well.

My vision of an office of the future relies heavily on respect for your peers. By each person recognizing how they can support others to be their best and achieve their goals, the office can be a place for great work, great connections, and ultimately a great company.