2019 trends in the workplace

Businesses evolve so that they can serve their customers and stay competitive in their markets. But to do so, they need to recruit and retain top talent. Using data-driven insights, CallisonRTKL works with clients to create offices that offer compelling employee experiences.

Our annual trends report focuses on the human side of workplace design. From retention and career advancement to the ethics of inclusion and diversity, these five trends will play a major role this year in design, strategic planning and workplace development:

1. The Accelerating Pace of Work. As technology accelerates productivity and delivery expectations, the pace at which individuals work must also increase. In today’s world of collaborative tools and constant online presence, companies are challenged to manage this acceleration while simultaneously preventing employee burnout.

2. Working and Communicating with Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to change all aspects of living, working and communicating. 2019 will see a rise in AI technology in the workplace with an emphasis on experience, data collection monitoring and ensuring the workforce has the tools to succeed faster and smarter.

3. The Push for Employee Ethics and Diversity. Workplace ethics together with diversity and inclusion were important themes of the social and political climate in 2018. Equal pay, increased transparency and corporate social responsibility (CSR) dominate executive missions, and this societal spotlight pushes the workplace toward greater equity and inclusion.

4. Mentoring, Continuing Education and Retention. Employers are welcoming a new generation into the economy, those people born from mid-1990s to the early 2000s – Generation Z. With five generations now in the workforce, accommodations will need to be made to improve technological literacy and focus on retention in the quick-shifting modern economy.

5. Optimized Wellbeing and Flexibility. Wellness, physical wellness in the workplace has been a consistent trend for at least half a decade and continues to grow in importance. Today, companies look to wellbeing, which includes mental and emotional wellness. 2019 will bring an enhanced spotlight to work-life balance, loneliness and belonging, and the promotion of good mental health at work.