A Fresh Office for a Complex Era

We are living in an unprecedentedly complex era of work. As urbanization continues and large numbers of talent flood into first- and second-tier cities across the country, office rents have risen visibly. Entrepreneurs targeting emerging markets have to set up their companies in large and mid-sized cities because of talent and policy reasons, and office rent becomes a major expense. This forces bosses to think about making the most of existing office space, and about flexibility and efficiency.

Office space is increasingly becoming one of a company's competitive advantages, rather than a pure cost burden.

Trend: More open space

As the post-80s and post-90s generations surge into office buildings, a younger workforce, changing tasks, and industry transformation are all driving a shift in office design — from the once-ubiquitous cubicle toward spaces that are increasingly human-centered, open, smart, and healthy.

The traditional office layout is outdated. Providing employees with a high-quality, high-satisfaction work environment and building an open office has become one of the ways to realize a space's value and drive business growth.

Inspiring: The need for private space

A study in the authoritative quarterly Journal of Environmental Psychology found that "uncontrollable noise and loss of privacy" can put open-plan offices in a poor position.

"When I need to focus and think, I need to be in a quiet, private environment."

According to a survey by global research firm IPSOS covering 10,500 employees in 14 countries across Europe, North America, and Asia, 85% of Asian office workers said that when they wanted to be alone to relax or think, they could not find a suitable place in the company.

Employees spend more than 38% of their working hours at their desks on work that must not be interrupted — work that is mostly contemplative and needs a quiet environment. An open office needs to provide spaces where employees can be alone, while encouraging interaction among them, to help company efficiency grow. At the same time, open office spaces should also have "flexible walls" that not only block noise effectively, but also give form to the idea of private space.

Introducing: Co-working space

With the development of emerging industries, a batch of new roles no longer need to be tied to the office from nine to five. As work becomes more flexible, how to effectively solve the desk problem for highly mobile positions has become a new challenge for companies.

The concept of co-working is no longer new in China, but opinions differ on whether the co-working format actually boosts a particular company's efficiency. What is certain is that people welcome this fresh way of working.

Considering the professional attributes of each functional department, treating co-working space as a key component rather than a replacement for fixed desks will bring companies a high-quality, efficient office experience.

A co-working area can provide temporary workspaces for highly mobile positions; it can also give ad hoc project teams within the company a place to work together.

And in this area, something new happens every day.