As part of our 2020 Event Disruptor Report, Senior Marketing Executive Amy Stroud explored how the concept of the workplace is expected to become vastly altered in the near future. With environment linked so closely to productivity, the onus is on employees to adopt tech solutions that will attract and maintain talent.

The productivity of employees is top of the list for many employers. Presenteeism and absenteeism cost the UK economy £73 billion a year and 27 days of productive time are lost. 

Modern expectations

The modern workforce, largely thought of as millennials, are tech-savvy and expect flexibility in how, when and where they work. And, with millennials making up 75% of the workforce in just 5 years’ time, the changing nature of work is something that can’t be ignored.

Technology

82% of millennials said that workplace technology would influence their choice to accept a job. This means firstly that companies can’t afford to continue without adopting tech solutions that solve the problems their employees face in their day-to-day work lives. It also means that the uptake of technology or software by millennials could make or break its success, so it has to be fit for purpose and continue to evolve and improve.

As an industry that has yet to be digitally disrupted, the events industry is still plagued by laborious manual processes, endless emails and huge amounts of time wasted by customers and venues alike.

Throughout the HeadBox journey, we’ve always been extremely focused on understanding our customers’ problems so that we can create digital tools and software that solve them. The HeadBox Business product now saves our customers up to 25% on their annual event spend through increased booker and company efficiency. Companies that adapt to these changes are more likely to attract and retain the best talent, and if the events industry wants to grow and improve, it needs to sit up and pay attention. 

Working Environment

Millennials were the first generation to be raised with constant, instant access to technology. This generation doesn’t think of an office as the only place to be productive and successful and wants to take advantage of modern technology to a better work-life balance, as well as choose an environment in which they can be more productive. In fact, over 70% would like flexible work to be part of their role.

The link between work environment and wellbeing has been shown to be strong, and the knock-on effect to productivity understandably follows. After all, a happy workforce is a productive workforce. Studies have consistently demonstrated that the physical environment can have a significant effect on behaviour, perceptions and productivity. With the millennial generation driving the ‘new work’, choosing an environment that suits the individual is likely to become the norm.

It’s no surprise then, that concepts like The Office Group and WorkSpace have become so popular. With their ‘space as a service’ model, providing a workplace environment that provides the spaces and services needed for a ‘job to be done’ for every individual – as and when they need it. Whether it’s for meetings, offsites or just renting a desk for the day, there’s no doubt that the need for inspiring spaces is on the rise.

The HeadBox platform has over 8000 spaces to choose from across Europe. By using customer data and artificial intelligence we are improving the recommendations that our software makes, improving the accuracy of pricing and even recommending based on stylistic nuances – elements of the booking process that until recently were only possible with the input of a Venue Manager. We’re leveraging technology to make finding and booking a venue a seamless process. This technology, paired with the unrivalled choice of venues across Europe, means that organisations can now find the perfect space in minutes for their team, providing offsite environments that can energise and refresh employees, fostering creativity and making brilliant things happen.

The concept of the ‘workplace’ looks set to have a very different face in the coming years and as more people begin to work flexibly and choose when and where they work, the need for inspiring spaces on-demand to create, learn and collaborate will only increase too.

Our 2020 Events Disruptor Report is a collection of articles that explore how and when the emerging trends in technology impact the events industry. To read the full report click here.