The office environment – the most common workplace in Sweden
Today nearly 60% of all employees in Sweden work in an office environment at least 25% of their working hours. As a result of digitisation, conditions in the office environment have changed significantly. Technology has enabled mobility and flexibility in a completely new way; iPads and smart phones have helped make us mobile and flexible in brand new ways. One in three people working in an office environment has their own room, while about 15% do not have their own desk or room, but have to choose from non-personal desks/workstations . But regardless of the type of office you work in, activity-based office work has seen a breakthrough. Flexibility permeates the entire day. You can have customer meetings, work at home, work on the train, or go to other premises or departments within the company.
The sustainable office of the future
Sustainability and climate issues are also subjects of current interest in office research. What form should the transition to a sustainable perspective take when it comes to the office workplace? How can we develop modern offices that assures the health of employees, companies and the planet?
According to Susanna Toivanen, Professor of Sociology at Mälardalen University, Sween, a ‘sustainable office’ is an office that satisfies the current needs of an office environment without compromising on the needs of future generations.
“This classification of sustainability is based on the classic Brundtland definition. This involves environmental, economic and social sustainability. The social aspect includes employee health, as well as the health of society and the planet. We also talk about ‘healthy offices’ – where we start from a definition that derives from a large research project that looked at long-term healthy companies to discover what distinguishes them. This is measured, among other things, by looking at sick leave statistics based on office type.”
