HYDERABAD: Hyderabad has over 300 corporates, a majority of which lies between Jubilee Hills and Gachibowli alone. While on the face of it, most may look like steely, cold, grey and glass exterior workplaces, all these may change soon, says workplace strategist Melissa Marsh.
“Wellness will be at the core of our workplaces and so will be fun,” says Melissa, senior managing director of Occupant Experience at Savills from New York, a property consulting firm with clients in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Guwahati.
Speaking to the City Express over the phone. Melissa, who was in Bengaluru for an event, elaborates on the emerging trends in workplaces in India and globally. Melissa is a workplace innovator who embeds real estate strategy within design, architecture and master planning projects.
“The first change will be seen in cafeterias. The world-famous coffee+doughnut+bagel breakfast will soon be replaced by apricot, spices and fruity flavours. The future office will also be one where we will talk to our workplace. That means that instead of the usual remote controls at office, you will be activating temperature control through your phone, booking your boardroom over an app. I won’t be too surprised if your edit meeting next year will be where your editor will be pedalling the cycle as you bounce off ideas,” she quips.
Walking workstations will also cost relatively cheaper in the next two years as more offices will look for healthier options. She also talks about placing puzzles along staircases to encourage employees to climb stairs. Talking about ‘India Workplace – 2020 Fixed to Flexible: Mapping the Workplace and its Transformations’ brought out by Savills, she says, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us.
Technologies are converging across the physical, digital, and biological worlds. The advent of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence, advanced robotics and autonomous transport, cloud computing and IoT is expected to reconfigure production processes, business models and service delivery.
The office of the future will have a strong emphasis on bridging the gap between home and more traditional workplaces. A growing number of companies are offering flexible working policies and increasingly opting to move into a co-working space that catalyses work-life balance and help retain talent. In fact, the coworking ecosystem has undergone transformative changes in the last couple of years.
These are tangible business benefits and hence likely to convert more corporates in the years to come. Even ‘conservative’ sectors like banking, insurance and manufacturing are switching to co-working in order to be perceived as new-age companies.”
Will the luxury of sleeping pods — where employees get to take a power nap after lunch be a reality in a city like Hyderabad? Apparently yes, not because your office loves you but because that will increase your productivity. Looks like good days are ahead.
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi
kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com @mkalanidhi