Category Archives: FUTURE WORK

TALK #3 | FUTURE WORK

Inez von Weitershausen, Research Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Monique Fuchs, Associate Vice President, Innovation + Entrepreneurship, Wentworth

Inez Von Weitershausen Title Slide

In the FutureLab Talk #3 Inez von Weitershausen [MIT] shares with Monique Fuchs [Wentworth] what the Work of the Future may look like and what key aspects are at play to consider interactions between humans and machines, humans and work, and humans and humans during COVID-19 and beyond. Inez von Weitershausen has researched at Sloan School of Business for the Good Jobs, Good Companies initiative and focuses on cross-national differences around training, education and re-skilling. She encourages younger generations entering the workforce to innovate, remove inequalities highlighted during the crisis, and invest in social impact.

TALK #4 | FUTURE WORK

Greg Friedman, Vice President, Leadership/ Organization Development + Analytics, Paraxel
Monique Fuchs, Associate Vice President, Innovation + Entrepreneurship, Wentworth

Greg Friedman Title Slide

In the FutureLab Talk #4 Monique Fuchs [Wentworth] discusses with Greg Friedman [Paraxel] how COVID-19 impacted effective collaboration and communication across organizations and what new work models have been created – and may be here to stay – as a result of this crisis. Greg Friedman is a thought leader when it comes to organization design and uncarving talent. He shares, which competencies the workforce is relying on now and which will continue to be needed after-COVID and what organizational innovations may be plausible in the future.

RETAIL ROBOTS + Automation

Calgary, Canada, Attabotics
https://www.fastcompany.com/90457446/attabotics-most-innovative-companies-2020

Attabotic systems

Through store closures and stay-at-home orders online shopping has become the predominant way to acquire products and goods. This system inspired by ant colonies shrinks large warehouses into a dense, vertical stacking system. The robots are controlled from a workstation where the employee requests the item(s) on a screen and the robot retrieves the correct containers and brings them via tracks to the workstation. The system itself is modular and can be expanded with additional tracks and containers and is usually installed into a building rather than being built into it.

6 Feet Office

Amsterdam, Cushman & Wakefield
https://www.fastcompany.com/90488060/our-offices-will-never-be-the-same-after-covid-19-heres-what-they-could-look-like

Office Render for 6 feet desk layout
Cushman & Wakefield created a working laboratory, in which they tested new ways to adhere to social distancing requirements and hygiene in their Amsterdam headquarters. The core premise is to ensure that it is possible to maintain a distance of six feet, the recommended measurement for safe social distancing, between people at all times communicating information through visual cues and space markings.

VIRTUAL WORK FOREVER

US, Twitter

Google, as well as many other tech companies, have recently invested heavily into making a work campus that encourages workers to stay on campus. This change to virtual working would be a direct change in that view.

Twitter has decided to turn the short-term necessity of virtual working into a permanent option. This will increase flexibility, preparedness and scalability for the company as well as for individual employees, who balance work and family or endure long commutes in general. It could be a major step towards what the future of work may look like.

Using Lighting IoT Data for Safer Office Reentry

United States, Cushman & Wakefield
https://www.fastcompany.com/90488060/our-offices-will-never-be-the-same-after-covid-19-heres-what-they-could-look-like

Office Space with IoT Data Lighting SystemNewer office buildings can utilize data produced and processed by their lighting control system to capture and analyze data to better understand how their spaces are being used to be able to make informed decisions for a safer reentering strategy. This project takes a deeper look at how automated lighting works in buildings, particularly offices to use the data gained from the light sensors that can impact how people use spaces together post COVID.

Qworktine: Post Quarantine Office

Moahmed Radwan
yankodesign.com

Office Pod Design
Qworktime is an air-tight pod system that offers separation for employees and monitors the number of people present in an office environment. Tracking their uses, it is easy to do contact racing. Their geometry allows for various arrangements depending on the existing office layout. Doors open touch-free, facial recognition is used to grant access and ventilation as well as air-purification maintains a safe environment.

RETAIL TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM

ALDI, UK
https://www.chargedretail.co.uk

Traffic light in front of store

Transferring the traffic light idea into a retail environment could augment controlling the numbers of customers in a store. The red light signals customer to wait and keeping the automatic doors closed. Once customers leave, the light will turn green allowing the next shopper to enter. This automation transfers and utilizes a well-known and functional system to a different application to assure safety while facilitating the reduction of consumers in a store at any given time.