Office Space Croydon: How Smart Tech is Helping the Transition Back

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As businesses embark on the big return to the workplace, it is becoming evident that a successful transition back from remote working will hinge upon three things.

  • Firstly, a guarantee of a safe working environment.
  • Secondly, the potential for a hybrid approach to working where workers get to split their time across home and office.
  • Thirdly, support of activity-based working, where staff choose how, when and where they work.

And there is one core enabler of all of these: technology.

We examine how leading-edge smart technologies are helping to ease the transition back to the workplace, as the digital transformation that was already gathering pace accelerates significantly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, how choosing office space in Croydon could be beneficial to the tech-reliant business.

Interactive whiteboards

For organisations adopting a hybrid approach to the ‘new normal’, the right technology must be in place to support cross-workplace collaboration.

Whether staff are working from home or in the office, teams still need to collaborate. Productivity and creativity depend upon it.

An interactive whiteboard is an internet-powered tool that allows several people to collaborate, using a touchscreen to annotate content, take notes and share ideas. Participants can be located anywhere, remote or otherwise, and simply log in to the session via their personal, internet-enabled device.

Notes can be written on the surface of the whiteboard or personal device, then shared, archived and saved as digital content. At the end of a session, collaborators can receive an email summarising all the notes and points of discussion raised.

Automated workspace and meeting room bookings

Powered by Internet of Things (IoT) technology and a sensor network, smart workspace booking systems can show what’s free and where. In addition, they deliver helpful information such as the features offered by each room or workspace and whether they have recently been sanitised and are ready for use.

The systems also flag up when rooms or spaces are ready for cleaning, allowing operatives to be called upon automatically.

When combined with other smart building features, for example visitor management systems, contactless access control and refreshment ordering, the whole process of work and meeting space management becomes conveniently automated. Limiting booking volumes for specific sized spaces is particularly useful after the pandemic to meet distancing guidelines and make staff feel safe.

Heating and lighting control

Research has revealed that individual workers find it beneficial to be able to control the lighting and ambient temperature of their immediate surroundings. This is also conducive to workplace well-being for lighting and ambient conditions to automatically adjust in line with changing external factors such as natural light, time of day and outside temperature, as well as specific tasks.

Smart building controls make all of this possible.

In conjunction with a building management system, smart building controls, powered by Internet of Things (IoT) technology, use sensors integrated with external intelligence such as weather forecasts to detect changing environmental conditions.

All of this combines further with machine learning to pick up on personal preferences. So, users get to directly control the conditions of their own workspaces and enjoy automated changes without even having to think about it.

Social distancing detectors

Social distancing is currently a vital government guideline for the workplace in the fight against COVID-19, but it also makes people safer at work and will help ease the move back to the office.

Social distancing detectors make it possible to track people getting too close to each other and notify them before this happens. What’s more, the data collected can aid employers to make decisions as to how to adjust workplace layouts to make the most of space.

Amazon is currently using such a tool and has brought machine learning technology specialists on board to capture opportunities in real-time about improving social distancing in their buildings.

Indoor air quality monitoring

A building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) has the responsibility of ensuring that the correct temperature, air quality, and humidity conditions are present in the workplace. Healthy buildings and workplace well-being depend upon good indoor air quality. It is doubly important to make as much as possible out of the insights gleaned from these systems to ensure workplace safety in light of the pandemic.

HVAC systems can control disease transmission via various means, including particle filtration, and temperature and relative humidity management. IoT-powered smart HVAC systems allow for standards of indoor air quality to be regulated and healthy levels maintained. Artificial intelligence makes detection of dangerous levels of particulates possible, triggering warnings to vacate the premises or automated changes to the HVAC system to deal with issues head-on.

Why choose Croydon for your business location?

Croydon is one of London’s fastest-growing economies and has benefited from significant infrastructure investment recently.

Awarded the title of London Borough of Culture 2023, this London borough and town offers a vast choice of arts and leisure facilities. Courtesy of its close proximity to Gatwick Airport and much sought after position within the booming commercial zone known as the Gatwick Diamond, it comes as no surprise that Croydon is one of the most popular locations for businesses with growth ambitions.

Looking for office space? Croydon is a hot choice for the tech-dependent business

Corinthian House is a landmark building located in the centre of Croydon. With a wide variety of modern, high-tech features on offer, the building poses a compelling choice for any organisation considering renting office space in Croydon.

Why not speak to our helpful team today to discover how a serviced office at Corinthian House could work for your business? We look forward to giving you the grand tour.