By Bond Collective Staff
As businesses evolve to meet the changing times and the needs of their customer bases, workplace trends evolve as well. Gone are the days of row after row of cubicles and a homogenous workforce that reports to the office in-person every day.
In this article, we discuss the workplace trends your business should embrace in 2021 to keep itself strong and profitable.
Workplace Trends
1) Flexible Work Environments Make An Entrance
Another of the many trends to keep an eye on in the 2020s is that of the flexible work environment.
This trend goes by many names — hybrid workplace, coworking, shared workspace, and many more — and is a powerful way to give your team the space they need to get the job done right while at the same time saving money for your business.
“Flexible work environments” is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of workspace types that differ from the traditional office model of one business, one space.
In the flexible model, numerous businesses, individuals, and teams work side-by-side in a large, communal space with multiple seating options.
To learn about the benefits of flexible work environments, take a few moments to read these articles from the Bond Collective blog:
2) Company Culture Goes Virtual
Company culture has always been an important part of the day-to-day activity in your business. Whether managers and owners realized it or not, company culture was largely a component of the face-to-face workforce.
If the last few years taught us anything, it’s that businesses need to be flexible in how and where their employees work — be it in the office or online.
As more and more businesses turn to the remote option, they quickly discover the importance of maintaining their company culture online as well.
But don’t worry. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Many of the face-to-face activities you conducted to cultivate team unity and company culture are also effective via a video-conferencing app.
You can organize and run everything from a virtual happy hour to a virtual meeting with remote employees from around the world.
All of these “extra-curricular” activities contribute to a smooth transition of your company culture from strictly face-to-face to virtual.
3) A New Generation Enters The Workforce
One of the most prominent workplace trends to come along in recent years is the entrance of a new generation into the workforce.
The oldest members of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010) have graduated from high school and college and are now actively looking for a career.
But Gen Z is like nothing the business world has encountered before.
They’ve never known a time when the internet didn’t exist, and they expect the businesses in which they work to embrace technology just like they do.
Successful businesses will find ways to adapt to the new mindsets and skills that Gen Z brings with them into the workforce.
4) Flexible Schedules Shake Things Up
Workplace trends continue to move further and further away from the standard 9-to-5 workday of the last century.
Both businesses and employees alike recognize the benefits that come with a flexible work schedule, including:
Better work/life balance
Increased productivity
Improved task completion
Fewer unplanned work interruptions
A flexible schedule even acts as an incentive for potential employees during the hiring phase.
When you offer a flexible schedule right from the start — rather than as something they earn after X years on the job — new team members can achieve a work/life balance that fits their unique situation on day one.
That’s an attractive benefit that can significantly improve your recruiting.
5) Mental Health Benefits Become Crucial
Leading the list of workplace trends to embrace in the 2020s is the mental health benefit.
Employee burnout is an all-too-common occurrence these days — especially in light of recent world events that have changed the way teams of all sizes do business.
Whether you’re managing a handful of employees all working from home or a team of 20 or more in a central location, you need to be on the lookout for indications that one or more individuals need some time off.
Including mental health benefits as one of your standard perks for new and long-time team members alike is a great way to help your employees maintain their engagement and productivity and avoid such negatives as:
Chronic daytime fatigue
Increased reliance on caffeine or other stimulants
Difficulty focusing
Personalization of work-related frustrations
Many businesses are even implementing the mental health day — time off from work that an employee uses (even though they’re not physically sick) to relieve stress and recover from burnout.
6) A More Inclusive Workplace Abounds
Businesses that promote a more inclusive workplace are on the rise as team members demand that their voices be heard.
At its most basic, workplace inclusion emphasizes the fact that the ideas, perspectives, and thoughts of all employees matter and that teams — and businesses — are better off when they consider every point of view before making a decision.
7) Diversity Takes Center Stage
As more businesses go global — be it selling internationally or marketing to peoples of all nationalities — workplace trends are moving more toward a focus on a diverse workforce.
Diversity is about bringing people from different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints together to work as a team.
Whether you run a large corporation or a small business, diversity will help your team be more productive and your business stand out from its competitors.
8) Innovation Continues
Any list of workplace trends would be incomplete without the technology that makes the world go round.
Businesses have always been on the cutting edge of technology, and the innovation will no doubt continue in the 2020s. Will your business be on the frontlines, or will it be left behind to play catchup?
For more on new technologies that will transform the way your team works, check out this article from the Bond Collective blog: 8 Futuristic Office Ideas For The Modern Workplace.
9) Focus Shifts To Include Soft Skills
While hard skills such as computer knowledge and proficiency with technology are still extremely important, workplace trends are now highlighting a shift to soft skills as well.
Businesses large and small are realizing that written and verbal communication, analytical skills, and leadership are just as important as the technical proficiency that dominated during the last decade.
Soft skills, more than anything else, facilitate person-to-person connection and help your team members build strong relationships with each other and your business build strong relationships with its customers.
10) Remote Work Becomes The Norm
Remote work tops the list of workplace trends thanks to its practicality, its flexibility, and, as many businesses discovered in 2020, its productivity.
Just to be clear, remote work is an arrangement in which an employee or a group of employees works mainly from an alternate location and communicates with the company via email, telephone, or other digital medium.
Employees may report to your physical office two or three times a week and then work from somewhere else (home, a coffee shop, a coworking space) the other days.
Some employees may never report to the office in person but work with the rest of your team via work-sharing apps, video conferencing, and the internet.
It’s a brave new world, and one that many businesses can benefit from.
For more information on remote work, take a few minutes to read these helpful articles from the Bond Collective blog:
Workplace Trends And Your Business
Many of the workplace trends on this list will take time to implement in your business. Flexible work environments, however, are something your business can embrace right away.
With the help of Bond Collective, you can take advantage of coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices for a few individuals, a team, or your entire business.
And with Bond Collective’s many locations across the United States, you can even set up temporary office space, a remote office, or a satellite office, for a fraction of the cost of doing it on your own.
Whether you’re a solopreneur nurturing a startup into existence or you need space for a team of 50 or more, at Bond Collective, you’ll enjoy interiors and industry-leading amenities, including:
Guest reception and greeting
Conference rooms for 2 or 20+
24-hour access
Private meeting and phone booths
Custom build-outs
Nightly office cleaning
On-site kitchens
Professional image
Porter service
Unlimited black-and-white printing
Fast, reliable WiFi and internet
Mail and package handling
Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast
Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee
All of this (and so much more) makes Bond Collective the easiest way to embrace the workplace trends of the future.
Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including shared workspaces in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.
Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer. And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique shared workspaces at Bond Collective can benefit your business.