SPACE: TRENDS ON THE FUTURE OF WORK

THE TEAM
- Work will be comprised of multiple specific project assignments, with defined responsibilities, goals, targets and work plans the norm
- Consultants will far outnumber permanent employees managing toward completion of project assignments
- The work week will become an obsolete measurement replaced by assignment hours; weekly, quarterly, annually
- The independent consultants will fuel the next generation start up businesses
- Corporations will eliminate health care benefits, shifting responsibility to the individual
- Professional contract service agencies expand for the placement of consultant professionals
- Consultant professionals will work from home and from “Office Collectives”; centers for shared physical, social and networking resources
- The key corporate amenity will be continued professional development
- Project management skills will be in high demand
Environmental responsibility will as relevant as financial accountability

INTEGRATING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Resource tracking and scheduling tools will be commonplace
Wireless technologies will be widespread, with a single mobile communication/data contact number
Security will be personalized
At any point in time we will know who and what is where
More knowledge will put creativity in the most highly regarded positions

WORK PROCESSES
Globalization of operations will require 24 hour core team operations
Longer work days will emerge, with office and home both fully engaged as the workplace
Extended life expectancy will result in multiple careers and an ongoing need for reeducation
Corporations will adopt a more significant role in education to assure talent
More senior professionals will reenter the workforce

RESULTING WORKPLACE EVOLUTION
- Corporate headquarters will be where key strategic leadership assemble
- Regionalization will capture varied labor and wage opportunities, and local market knowledge base
- Corporate headquarters will evolve to a university environment with skill work centers and social and learning centers
- Work at home only employees will diminish due to isolation and separatism
- Numerous relocations with shift in occupancy
- Less dedicated space per person reduced, more shared space for insourced, outsourced, and consultant teams
- Solutions for support resources for the insource/outsource/consultant team will vary by business and be more diverse in solution
- Real estate and facilities will be seen of increased value as a business tool
- Space, technology and corporate services will be integrated into a single corporate unit
- Live/work spaces will become part of a commercial real estate portfolio
- Leases will move to many more smaller spaces for a shorter duration
- Interactive customer work space will be common within workplace
- The quality of work life issues will drive a renewed interest in ownership
- This quality of work life will also encompass environmental actions to be a better global citizens
- The next generation workplace will be evaluated by how well people are able to work.
- Organizations will use the workplace to display values and bring full circle the balance of work and play