Top 5 Workplace Trends in 2014

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The workplace is changing faster than ever.

Understanding and embracing these changes can help your business manage uncertainty, boost productivity and gain a competitive advantage—today and down the road.

At Staples Advantage, we’re here to help. We go beyond office supplies to offer guidance and insights to help you make your business vision happen.

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2014’s Top 5 Workplace TrendsForecasting ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing world.

1. Flexibility & co-workingIt may be time to rethink the role of the traditional workplace.

2. Wellness approachBetter health is no longer a “nice to have” —it’s a driver for employee efficiency.

4. SustainabilityNot only the right thing to do for the environment, but vital for lowering costs and attracting the best employees.

5. BYOD to workAllowing employees to bring and use their own devices at work helps boost productivity and savings.

3. Space customizationThe diverse knowledge economy calls for a variety of spaces for a variety of employee needs.

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Seismic Demographic Shifts

• 18% of baby boomers will retire in the next five years. [Forbes]

• By 2015, 36% of the American workforce will be millennials. [Forbes]

• By 2025, millennials will account for 75% of the global marketplace.  [Time]

• In 2014, 40% of households with children younger than 18 include a mother who is the sole or primary earner for her family. [Pew Research]

• 1 billion women will enter the workplace in the next decade. [Intuit]

It’s no longer about 20-somethings and women fitting into a man’s world. They already are (and will continue to be) redefining the workplace.

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1. The Flexible WorkdayNew technologies are changing where, when, and how we can work. Employees who have more flexible work situations report feeling healthier and more productive.

By 2020, it’s estimated that freelance workers will make up 40% of the workforce. [Forbes]

69% of modern workers believe working in a physical office is unnecessary on a regular basis. [Cisco]

71% of people surveyed were more creative

62% reported that their measure of work improved significantly

90% said they felt more confident

70% reported feeling healthier

Of non-traditional workers (freelancers, consultants, entrepreneurs) in flexible work settings…

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Co-working spaces can accommodate peak demand, or support special project teams for a set period of time, and can be used as a way to maintain connections to unique, innovative business communities.

1. “Co-worker” Has a New MeaningToday’s flexible employees still need to feel socially connected. Internal or external, co-workspaces are here to stay.

- Jan Johnson, “Workplace Trends: What We Can Expect in 2014” [Staples Advantage blog] 

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2. Healthy Bodies, Minds, and Bottom LinesEmployee health will be more important than ever this year for productivity and savings.

The EPA estimates that sick business syndrome costs businesses between $60 and $200 billion a year. [Sodexo]

Up to 10% of employee absences can be directly attributed to lack of views of the outside. [RTKL]

$60 billion

$200 billion

10%

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2. “Wellness is the New Green”. . . In an age where 90% of our waking hours are spent in artificial worlds1, the health of our inside environments becomes crucial.

The 10 aspects of the indoor environment that are the most effective areas for improving wellness are activity, water and nutrition, restorative environments, ergonomics, autonomy, biophilia, indoor environmental quality, lighting, acoustics, and motivators.

- Rod Vickroy, “Wellness is the New Green”, [Gensler]

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“ The migration to the “open

plan” environment is failing

many employees when

implemented in the

absence of proper places to

focus, relax and gather as

teams.” [Gensler]

“ In opposition to the trend of

workplaces being designed to

encourage collaboration,

workers today are spending

more time on focused,

individual tasks than they

were 5 years ago.”

[Architecture News]

A Cornell University study of

320 small businesses showed

that companies that grant

employees choice in where to

do their work grew at 4x and

had 1/3 the turnover of more

control-oriented firms. [Gensler]

3. One Open Plan Doesn’t Fit EveryoneMixing collaboration-friendly spaces with more private focus spaces helps all employees feel more engaged and supported in their work.

4x the growth, 1/3 the turnover

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3. Work/Space Balance

- Jan Johnson, “Workplace Trends: What We Can Expect in 2014” [Staples Advantage blog] 

We need to realize we have to be more thoughtful about how to support a variety of activities with a mix of spaces — and protocols that enable concentration.

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4. Green is GoodProtecting the environment through more sustainable operations is good for business (and yes, it’s also the right thing to do).

64% of millennials say it’s a priority

for them to make the world a

better place. [Forbes]

High-sustainability companies “significantly

outperform their counterparts over the long

term, both in terms of stock market and

accounting performance.” [Harvard Business Review]

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4. A Better Work ClimateSustainable practices enhance your company’s reputation—inside and out.

Sustainability, however, creates

opportunity for engagement,

collaboration, and innovation.

If you don’t have the culture to

support sustainability and

innovation, then you won’t be

able to achieve your goals. - Izabela Popova,

“Employee Engagement Drives Sustainability Strategy”

[Environmental Leader]

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5. Mobilize ProductivityEmployees increasingly have choice in the mobile devices they bring and use at work —which leads to greater productivity and work-life integration.

Mobile global penetration is currently at 91%—and the personal cloud will replace the PC as the hub of consumers’ digital lives this year. [Macheen]

Gartner predicts that the Bring Your Own Device-trend will result in the doubling or tripling of the mobile workforce. [Gartner]

90% of organizations will support corporate applications on a variety of personal devices this year. [Macheen]

The most important apps to an organization are those that manage email/calendars (90%) and line of business tools (52%). [Citrix]

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5. Head in the BYOD Cloud

By enabling employees to securely and easily access corporate data on their own devices, productivity levels will naturally increase. In terms of cost savings, there are huge benefits, since SMBs will not have to manage and fund a second device for employees.

- Mark Coates, “What is BYOD and Why Is It Important?”, [Tech Radar]

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