It was recently revealed that the average British household now owns 7.4 internet connected devices, with 70% of homes now having at least one tablet. The workplace isn’t far behind, and today we are increasingly encountering multi-screen working environments. So, we ask – is this the future of office work?
Device Diversity at Home
With a recent survey suggesting that 40% of US large-business employees use personal devices at work, it’s a wonder more companies haven’t acted on the fact that people naturally switch between devices in the execution of a task.
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Although recent studies suggest that ‘multitasking’ is a bit of a fallacy, and that the human brain isn’t really built to concentrate on two tasks simultaneously, productivity on a single task can be amplified by providing people with the tools they are comfortable using.
Multi-Screen Technology
Using integrated software, a number of companies have begun to implement an Internet of Things-style network of connected devices within the workplace, allowing employees to use a range of devices.
For many, this offers a practical implementation solution to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies by allowing employees to use a familiar interface as well as protecting company data by using shared encryption software. Additionally, it can help to maximise the workspace and encourage workers to use a common sense approach to workplace organisation.
Workplace Agility
As with any new technology, multi-screen working will not suit every business, and it is important to consider whether this approach to office management would really be appropriate for your organisation. But companies that have implemented this report a number of benefits.
What’s more, a multi-screen environment allows office workers to move more freely throughout the workspace, which can promote a flexible working culture. This can encourage creative thinking, boost employee satisfaction, and facilitate collaboration both within teams and between different departments.
Screen Size Matters
Studies have shown that using a wide range of screen sizes and types can help to diversify workers’ experience and help them work more fluidly.
Additional research shows that reading information from larger screens leads to mood elevation, and a greater feeling of physical presence. Digital signage gives clarity of reading, and helps workers use information more efficiently. Small screens, on the other hand, are mobile and convenient for quick interactions and helping to support the fast-paced dynamics of the workplace.
It seems obvious, therefore, that a diversity of screen sizes and device types at work is beneficial, both in terms of improving your workers’ ease and rapidity of movement throughout the workspace and in caring for their mental wellbeing.
Remote Working
Remote workers may also benefit. Being able to interact with the workplace from afar, even on public transport, could be highly useful to employees who rarely appear in person.
Many multi-screen software systems allow spaces to be organised via smartphones or tablets, allowing remote workers to use their valuable time resourcefully. The ability to book meeting rooms and desk space from any location, on occasions when they are required to appear in person, could avail the concerns of long-distance workers over paperwork and bureaucracy.
Additionally, elements of these spaces, such as meeting room catering and video conferencing can be controlled remotely, allowing remote workers to fine-tune every aspect of their work day even before they arrive.
Implementation
Today, a range of multi-screen operational options are available to businesses. Condeco can provide personalised and structured booking systems for office spaces, with options including digital touch-screen signs and kiosks to show meeting room availability, desk screens to show whether space has been taken and wall-mounted wayfinders to give information on office layout and space availability.