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Writing sample submission for a Honeywell content writer role - given the title, I researched and compiled key points, then composed.
Transformation in the modern workplace:
How technology is revolutionizing health, safety and productivity for tomorrow’s offices
As businesses across the globe anticipate employees returning to offices, emerging technologies enable corporate leaders to reimagine the workplace as an experiential destination.
Smart offices promise to promote employee health, security and comfort by continually synthesizing and responding to the needs of their inhabitants, ushering in a new era of personalized flexibility that will draw and retain talent, drive engagement, and boost performance.
Covid-19 impact on enterprise, employees & environment
The pandemic reshaped industrial and digital landscapes by sorting and establishing essential and non-essential businesses and pushing traffic online while reducing travel and cutting fuel consumption, cost and emissions.
Although the shift to remote work affords benefits, many employees suffer from inadequate facilities, distractions and a sense of disconnect. Working parents, particularly women, must juggle attendance to frequent zoom calls and children who are out of school. Mental health, productivity and innovation have taken a hit, and companies realize their employees need accommodations in space and flexibility.
To call for a return to the office, companies must instill confidence in both safety and comfort by prioritizing their investment in the employee journey.
Reimagining return to work through emerging tech
Over the past twenty-five years, “smart” buildings have evolved to combine IOT sensors, edge computing, computer vision, GPS, voice and other inputs to gather and securely process local data in real-time. AI and machine learning then contextualize data to govern and optimize conditions and predict and automate operational flow and maintenance. For remote workers, 5G and emerging devices promise a future of telepresence and collaboration through augmented, virtual and mixed reality and guidance from digital assistants.
Safety and health
A recent Honeywell survey found that sixty-eight percent of workers feel unsafe in their workplace, and a quarter of remote workers would rather find another job than return to a facility that does not adhere to safety guidelines.
Smart systems will afford security and cognizance through health screening and contact tracing of personnel upon entry, mask detection, measurement of crowd density and social distancing.
UV sterilization and disinfectant-ready devices and equipment allow for continual cleaning of scanners, computers and printers.
Companies seeking to upgrade existing, older structures will benefit most from predictive analytics, gaining insights for prioritizing maintenance to ensure safety. Monitoring and automation prevent accidents and mechanical failures of power and lights, HVAC, temperature, ventilation and air purification, security, fire, water and waste systems.
Communications through digital signage, wireless AV and room-based systems will offer employees critical awareness and ease of use.
Employee experience
PWC found that 87% of employees seek offices for problem solving with coworkers and for learning.
Speaking at a recent round table discussion hosted by a leading workplace futurist think tank, Mark Needham of Cisco said ‘we need to treat the office as a consumer product and earn the loyalty of employees to keep them returning time and time again’.
The effort of travel to work should afford the reward of superior facility. Modern offices will offer a range of private, open and multipurpose rooms, featuring ample natural light, adjustable, modular furniture for sitting or standing, along with dining and exercise facilities to promote wellness. New audio technologies will eliminate noise distractions and enhance communication.
Employees will enjoy frictionless immersion upon arrival, using personalized workspace settings to enter via touchless access, navigate to their destinations, connect devices without setup, and save their ideal ergonomic and room temperature preferences.
Through scheduling and personalization, a facility with 1,000 desk capacity can support 2,500 workers who decide when to reserve space based on their needs, thereby driving higher morale, engagement and performance.
Quality of life & environment
Amazon’s HQ2 ‘indoor-outdoor building’ is slated for completion in 2025, and sets a very high bar for employee and environmental wellbeing. Companies who adapt to ‘the new normal’ will position themselves to offer an unprecedented standard of sustainable, professional lifestyle while making an ultimate statement of their brand’s core values.
Experts project that smart offices will cut 30% of urban emissions by 2050. A connected ecosystem may ultimately encompass personal devices, cars, homes, and buildings to comprise smart cities, like Toyota’s ‘Woven City’, currently under development in Japan. Mass adoption of smart systems will continue to lower the cost of technology, thereby increasing ubiquity and environmental benefit.
