Table hockey, foosball and pets at work were hallmarks of the new readiness to mix work and play. The town square concept remains viable for even traditional business models. Chicago ad agency Euro RSCG Tatham combines a cafe, library and converence room in its floor plan. These changes, along with coffee bars and casual Fridays, greeted the young, eager workforce as they performed jobs that they would never have had the chance to do in the old economy. Workplace designs today are still evolving to meet the demands of companies and their employees.
New technologies continue to change the way people interact and work.
The ability to retain and recruit the best employees is still the biggest challenge of most companies. Building company loyalty and a sense of community has become essential to the survival of companies in every industry, while finding ways to increase productivity without increasing spending is still the classic challenge. Successful office design today must reflect these needs. The organization itself will have the greatest impact on the workplace in this Next Economy. Clients are demanding that their architects and consultants not only understand their evolving business strategies but also support the architecture of the organization in the implementation of their solutions for the workplace.