Listen up London employers, here are the key things workers want in offices

Take a look

A new survey of Londoners has revealed an appetite for more tech interventions in the office, which would allow workers to personalise their working environment.  

Leading property company British Land has polled 1,093 London workers, with 79 per cent stating they would like to work in a ‘smart’ office.

A smart office utilises intuitive technologies to adapt the environment to the needs of its users;  enables workers to interact with and better control their working environment; automates tasks such as room booking and guest check-in via online platforms and apps; and operates more efficiently.

Of those surveyed, 88 per cent stated they wanted to control their working environment better and 88 per cent said that office buildings should be able to adapt to the behaviour of humans. Three quarters stated that smart office technology should be adopted as a means of battling climate change.

When asked which smart technologies they didn’t have in their office which would be appealing, a significant proportion highlighted practical features such as apps to enable room and desk booking [cited by 40 per cent] and ’boarding pass’ style visitor check in for instant access [38 per cent]. The results show strong appetite for more radical tech interventions to create a more intuitive workspace, such as circadian lighting systems that mimic natural light [51 per cent stated they did not have this but it would be appealing], voice activated room service [39 per cent], and ability to create personal heat settings which follow you around the building [53 per cent]. 

Over 40 per cent stated that meeting rooms where screens work seamlessly with personal devices would be appealing, showing an expectation that the ‘internet of things’ should extend to the office.

 

Table: The Smart technologies London workers would most like to see implemented in their office

SMART Technology	We don’t have this but it’s appealing… Percentage of London workers who selected
Ability to create personal heat and light settings	53 per cent
Lighting levels that window shades that adjust according to external sunlight levels	53 per cent
Circadian lighting that mimics natural daylight	51 per cent
Building systems that automatically adjust heat and lighting according to weather and occupancy	51 per cent
Employee app enabling workers to order lunch /  book gym classes	45 per cent
Meeting room screens that work seamlessly with mobile devices	44 per cent
Desk or room sensors to know in ‘real time’ when one is free	43 per cent
App that allows desk and meeting room bookings	40 per cent
Voice activated room service With ability to recall and present information from previous meetings	39 per cent
Visitor ‘flight booking’ – pre-issued bar codes that allow instant access to visitors	38 per cent
Entry pass sensors that know if people are present in the building	38 per cent
Variety of different workspaces for different types of working	35 per cent
Entry systems that recognise you via your pass or smartphone for swift entry	23 per cent