Get Jonas Hurtigh Grabe's advice on how to take your office into the future.

An office can be so much more than just an office. We put five questions to office developer Jonas Hurtigh Grabe, about activity-based offices and the structural challenges companies face in transforming the workplace.

What will the office of the future look like?
It's an activity-based office! No single organisation is the same. The same goes for employees, some like roasted brewed coffee and some like rooibos tea. Exactly the same goes for the office. You can't find a place where everyone is happy, content and able to work. Some people like context and noise, while others go crazy and need peace and quiet to concentrate. The office of the future takes into account the needs and differences of individuals!

What is an activity-based office?
It means moving away from stationary workplaces where employees have their fixed desk locations. Instead, employees should be able to choose their workplace based on their tasks and needs. Above all, it is a mindset - choice, trust and freedom. It creates productive and happy employees in the office. The activity-based approach is a methodology, not an office layout, but one piece of the puzzle is the redesign of the office environment. arbetssättet är en metodik och inte en kontorslayout, en pusselbit i arbetssättet är dock omställningen av kontorsmiljön.

What are the main benefits of an activity-based office?
By far the biggest benefit is that we consistently see an increase in perceived productivity among those who implement activity-based offices correctly. Employees also tend to be much happier. Many companies also feel an uncertainty about the future; how many of us will there be in a few years? Activity-based offices are dynamic and flexible. Not having to think: oh, here comes a new person, now we need a new desk. It's very easy to manage and change an office where you can move people around and not the physical environment. Organisations can save a lot of resources on this!

What is the role of storage in the activity-based office?
A really important role, there's a lot to think about! The size of the organisation has different requirements and it is important that storage is planned correctly. In activity-based offices, we don't have our own workspace, which creates a mindset around what is private and what belongs to the profession - there is a difference between our personal and communal storage. It is important that these are separated in an activity-based office, so as not to create a specific place where people choose to sit because they have their private stuff nearby. So away with all the individual storage in the communal areas - and in with shared storage instead!

What are the practical requirements for activity-based offices to work?
The first thing is committed managers who genuinely believe in this from the heart and the gut, who are clear and initiate the change in working practices. The second is to provide the opportunity for individuals to have time set aside to discuss and learn the new way of working. This requires preparation time and training in how to learn to use the physical environment that is available - simply moving around furnishings is not enough. The third is to get the maths right, to work out what furniture is needed in an activity-based office.