When you look at today’s technology like self-driving cars, robotics and artificial intelligence, it’s easy to think we’ve landed in a sci-fi film. But go ahead and pinch yourself — this is real. Yesterday’s predictions are today’s reality. As we begin 2022, those devices are busy providing services in highly connected school, work and home environments, making so much possible that it feels like the future is truly here. Join us, as we explore what the classroom, meeting room and printers of the future look like today.

If your average day looks anything like mine, it’s stacked full of meetings with groups of internal and external folks of a variety of sizes on countless topics. To top it off, I’m trying to manage a hybrid work schedule, and need to rely on seamless communication, whether in or out of the office. In any other organization, I couldn’t imagine the stress this could cause. However, working for Sharp, and taking advantage of our collaboration tools has helped make this easy and seamless.

As we enter the post-COVID-19 era, Gartner predicts almost half of employees will work from home, and executives in the McKinsey survey expect that employees will only need to be onsite between one and four days a week. This creates a hybrid office model that blends a workforce of employees working part of the week in the office and the other part from home, others working full time in the office, and still others working remotely, full time. Additionally, there will be lingering concerns around social distancing, air quality and cleanliness in the workplace, as well as coworkers' health status for those who spend time in the office. Despite all this, the need for in-person collaboration to drive creativity and team building will remain. The office we get back to will not be the one we left, and it will require new strategies, mindsets and technology solutions that ensure long-term sustainable success.  

Businesses today require more work in less time with fewer resources.  But fortunately, with smart office technology employees can work smarter and more productively, and not cut into valuable family time.  Smart offices are an opportunity to improve production, employee morale and provide a competitive edge for your business. 

In this new world of work, organizations have had to make many adjustments to the way people work.  We have gone from an office full of people prior to the pandemic, to people working primarily from their homes in the midst of the pandemic, and now in the new normal, back to an environment where some people are physically in their offices, while others are working remotely.  Today’s workplace is also tomorrow’s workplace – a hybrid balance of working in the office and remotely.

The display industry was already going through considerable changes when COVID-19 hit. Now, the pandemic has accelerated that innovation. We have compiled five key trends based on our new environment that companies in the display space should keep in mind.

 In the coming months, we will see many organizations reset the “new normal” and go back to life the way it was.  Or will we?