The office has dramatically changed over the last twenty years. What begun with the arrival of the internet, has led to a global economy, impacting every aspect of our working lives. Technological advances and the rise of the digital age has seen the traditional 9 to 5 and assigned office cubical be replaced by shared office spaces and virtual meetings. 

This shifting landscape has had a lasting impact on the office environment; however, this doesn’t mean the office as we know it today will be rendered obsolete. Instead, I believe that the office will undergo a state of metamorphosis and continue changing as we do.

The changing office

The turn of the century saw the office environment transform a number of times. The introduction of personal computers and laptops gave us flexibility, allowing for more control over our work hours. The addition of technology such as webcams, cloud storage and Skype opened up a world of international meetings and gave us the freedom to work from a desk, a coffee shop or home.

Along with upgrading our office processes, we upgraded our work spaces. We moved away from the dark office cubical, and in favour of lighter, brighter and open spaced offices.  These changes were the beginning of a continual adaptation process, which has led to the office we know today.