Staples Advantage, the business to business division of Staples, just released its workplace predictions for 2016. The predictions are drawn from the company’s experience working with businesses of all sizes ranging from 10 employees and up all the way to the Fortune 100 as well as its proprietary Staples Advantage Workplace Index. 
 
  •  Employers will invest in wellness initiatives that power employee productivity and help control healthcare costs, as employee burnout erodes productivity and rising healthcare costs continue to chip away at the bottom line. At a time when 66 percent of employees claim burnout is eroding their productivity, wellness efforts that focus on physical and mental wellness enhance employee health and productivity.

  •  Desire for workplace flexibility will continue to drive the freelance economy. Among part-time freelancers, nearly half acknowledged they would quit their primary job  to freelance full time to achieve more work flexibility. Nearly four in ten employees said workplace flexibility would increase workplace happiness.  

  •  There will be a reconfiguration of the traditional office space to serve multiple functions and accommodate a diverse, mobile workforce. Nearly half of employees would like more attention paid to office design, and as the physical workspace needs to accommodate an increasingly diverse, mobile workforce, a reconfiguration of the physical office will become a need, not just a want.

  •  Employers will begin to leverage sustainability as a recruitment tool, rather than just a CSR and reputation management initiative. While CSR and reputation are the biggest drivers of sustainability efforts today, it’s likely they will be front and center in recruitment strategies as 68 percent of employees acknowledge sustainability is an important factor when making an employment decision.

  •  Continued investment in technology that powers the mobile workforce. The majority of telecommuters say that telecommuting improves work-life balance, work productivity, and their overall happiness. As more and more employees work outside the physical office, and nearly two-third of employees attribute poorly performing technology to decreased productivity, employers will need to ensure they have the right technology in place to maximize ROI of their technology investments and enable a more flexible work model.