The ‘workplace’ is fast evolving beyond traditional recognition, and Nokia is one of the many companies creating radical mould-breaking working environments. Is this change being born purely out of enhanced communication tools and the advent of high-speed Internet culture? Yes, in part.
It’s also clear that there’s a greater human angle to the new approach towards how we work, with core values such as freedom and good health (mental and physical) at the heart of the formula. These new-wave working environments are designed to echo the culture and ethics of a company. So therefore, increased productivity, innovation and results have to come into the equation, don’t they?
Reduced travel with virtual meeting solutions such as Halo, more ergonomic day-to-day equipment, working at home, or home from home with Concierge services. These are real working scenarios at Nokia, and flexibility and well-being underpin them. But can these sorts of working environment promote a true feeling of belonging to a team, and old-school shoulder-to-shoulder camaraderie. Is that what we actually want anymore? Or rather, is it now about enabling us to work in this traditional manner if it works for those involved and the project as a whole, as with the design on the N78 in London, and on the flip side enabling multi-disciplinary teams to converge and collaborate virtually and long distance as was the case with the creation of the N810 Internet tablet?
If you work in a new breed of working environment such as this, whether it’s outside Nokia or inside, let us know what you think in the comments section below.