„The meeting starts at 2 p.m. your time, so just join us just before that so we can discuss a few things.“ – Statements like this have already become the new normal in the Working World 4.0 within a short space of time. Thanks to digitalization, flexible working hours and more and more professional fields that can be carried out remotely (i.e. from anywhere), we have leapt into the Working World 4.0 without even realizing it.
The Industrial Revolution took place in the 18th century, so what does that have to do with being able to talk to your colleagues today via Teams or Zoom? Absolutely everything! Because the Industrial Revolution of 1784 was only the first. Here's a brief overview, as every step of the Industrial Revolution automatically had an impact on the world of work:
Every change in industry has automatically had an impact on the way people have been able to do their work. For this reason, it is understandable that digitalization and the opportunities that come with it have now also brought us to Work 4.0. Work 4.0 is characterized in particular by the automation of work processes and the switch to paperless processes. However, this is undoubtedly not the only thing, as countless work processes have changed due to the increasing number of possibilities offered by digitalization.
Changed communication channels provide more freedom, especially with regard to mobility and flexibility of working time and place. With video conferencing technology, meetings can take place online with participants anywhere in the world without any loss of productivity. Software programs such as Zoom have adapted to the new requirements and created the Zoom Rooms version, which is specially tailored for use in conference rooms. But other video conferencing software is also adapting to the digital transformation and offering more and more features.
With the flexible choice of work location and ever flatter hierarchies, the world of work 4.0 is also characterized in particular by trust towards employees. The concept, also known as „New Work“, is characterized by agility, flexibility and short communication channels. Repetitive and easy-to-perform work processes can be handed over to artificial intelligence more and more often, so that employees can be given more opportunities for more demanding tasks.
Even though more and more employees are working from the home office, the design of the office is also an important aspect of the world of work 4.0. As office working days and home office working days are more frequently divided up flexibly, there are often no longer any fixed workplaces in the office 4.0. Employees can sit down at a free workstation and book designated group workspaces for meetings or conferences. „Open spaces“ and „flexible spaces“ are the keywords that are most frequently heard when designing the office 4.0.
In order to be able to fully exploit the digital possibilities, the necessary technical equipment must of course also be located in the office premises. Rooms that are specifically designed for video conferencing should be designed accordingly. If you are interested in designing a room specifically for holding video conferences, it is advisable to consider aspects such as the selection of the displays or the audio system, it is advisable to pay attention to the size and architecture of the room. Optimal planning allows you to get the best out of your space and furnish it specifically for its function.
But even if you don't have many architectural options, you'll find the right technology for you. For example, if you don't have enough space to set up a room specifically designed for video conferencing, you can use options such as mobile beamers. We at ComPeri are happy to help you with the design of your office 4.0 and with the optimal concept. We find hardware and software that is specifically tailored to your requirements and take care of installation and subsequent maintenance. Contact us today and jump on the bandwagon – or the steam engine? – that will carry us all into the Working World 4.0!