Workplace engagement is key to the success of any company. Engaged employees have higher levels of satisfaction, lower turnover rates, better productivity and results. When we think workplace engagement, most of us think about our workplace relationships.
However, the work environment plays a key part in keeping us engaged at work too. Steelcase’s global employee engagement study showed correlations between the work environment and employee engagement. As the study indicates – “Engaged employees have more control over their experiences at work.”
Technology can transform workplace engagement
Technology has already drastically shifted how we work, for both good and bad. Mobile technology has given us more control over how, where and when we work. At the same time, we can’t get away from work anymore.
As technology improves, the potential for more change dramatically increases. Here are some up and coming technology that has the potential to give us more control over the work environment and how we engage.
Sensors
Sensors becoming more and more advanced, able to pick up all kinds of details from the environment. For example, sensors can pick up motion, amount of light, sound, temperature, air quality, proximity, pressure, and more.
By deploying more and more of these sensors into the workplace, we’re now able to obtain significant amounts of data regarding how we act and interact with the environment at work. This data can then be used to better manage the space around us. For example, sound sensors in an open floor plan might be useful for picking up when things get loud, and automatically deploy sound masking systems to make the noise more manageable. This would help reduce workplace conflicts and improve the workplace experience.
Artificial Intelligence
Imagine a building that can decide when and how it should modulate temperature, air quality, light or more. With the data that sensors capture, artificial intelligence can now be built to understand how people work. Using that data, AI can then automatically optimize building control systems to efficiently meet the needs of occupants.
Better Interfaces
By now, we’re all used to computer screens and mobile screens. What if our interaction with technology wasn’t limited to keyboards, mice or touchscreens?
Voice interaction technology is already in the smart home. Google Home, Amazon Echo are now letting people interact with their environment using voice. This technology will likely make the jump to the office environment soon. For example, you could control the lights in the space, automatically start conference calls and more.
Other forms of interfaces could drastically change how we work too. Projections or augmented reality can provide additional context to the environment and interactions. For example, asking the system to find a colleague could trigger arrow projections in front of you, so that you know where to go to locate them.
What’s more – what if you didn’t have to work out of your office at all? With Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, you could very well work out of your home but transport yourself into a digital work environment.
What’s next?
Technology has the power to complete change how we work and the workplace experience. What do you think about the future? Have you seen technology that can reshape how we work?
