The Internet of Things (IoT) is still relatively new territory to most people. Realistically it will still be some time before it makes significant impact in day to day office life. Initially the IoT is likely to change the business life in fairly small ways, using technology in the office to improve the way people connect with their workplace and with each other.
The future for open space working shows promise for early innovations. Providing employees with up-to-date information about their surroundings, by answering questions like “where is the nearest quiet zone?”
The real time data needed to answer these questions is most likely to become available through the use of beacons, switches, cameras and sensors positioned around the office or factory premises. Further technology could see the use of heat maps overlaid onto an office map, to identify where in the office is crowded or empty. Information like this could be accessed by members of staff through a smartphone app.
Another area that could also see IoT technology improve the workplace is helping larger organisations and their employees to communicate more effectively with one another. Bluetooth beacons or Wi-Fi triangulation could be used to provide a live map of the office, meaning colleagues wishing to share their location could be seen on a map.
In the ‘Office of the Future’ workplace wearables such as smart watches and other personal health monitoring devices will appear more. Some forecasts are predicting the wearable technology market could grow annually by over 100% during the next two years.
As we adopt the technology around us on an increasing scale, it is without a doubt that offices and factories of the future will be kitted out with more technology in a bid to aid our work environment and productivity.