Why the office is designed to be more like home

CHICAGO - The furniture of this week was at NeoCon unveiled 2016 looks like it so easily could fit like a desktop computer in a house.

In the industry, this mix of furniture, some have used the term "resident-commercial" coined to describe, instead of residential and commercial work.

There are several reasons, the comforts of home infiltrate the desktop:

• Use with more people laptops instead of desktop computers, they are not at a desk.

• This requires a comfortable working space for younger employees, competing to win an important consideration for companies and retain skilled workers to.

• A mixture of offices and sofas make it easier different types of work, collaborative brainstorming sessions to do to get the job head down.

"The point is to create a space that people want to be," said Nancy Stryker, with Trendway, a manufacturer of office furniture medium-sized city in the Netherlands. "It is not so much management work, home and play, but the mixture thereof."

Like the houses, add offices in areas affected where the work can be done. Beyond the traditional reception there are sofas, tables High bar which people sit or stand, and even allow workspaces, similar to a kitchen table or dining room.

Furniture manufacturers say that the right combination of furniture can create an environment where employee involvement and satisfaction increases, which are considered the most important driver for economic success.

Space plays a role in cognitive, physical and emotional workers, says CEO Jim Keane Steelcase, based on the results of the comprehensive review of the company employees.

"We have said that the hierarchy is less important, and refers to innovation. In this world, you need to think more in informal spaces," Keane said, while this week a tour of the Steelcase showroom Chicago to give.

People spend otherwise more waking hours at work than anything else, and many of them do not want to feel like they are in the office, says Rob Kirkbride, editor of the workplace, a new journal based Grand Rapids covering industry worldwide.

Although not see benching - the long tables where people work side by side - go, a growing trend informally creating spaces with seating area where workers can either meet for an informal meeting or away from the many quiet moments.

Herman Miller has several variations of its showroom in Chicago.

"That's where the thing will go living to see, in an area which is the main area of ​​work is from perhaps" Kirkbride said.

Even shifting to smaller conference rooms - that can be made with movable walls - and offices that double as a conference area where it was the executive.

What began with open offices allow workers now moving to expand more opportunities to offer, to make them work.

Shandra Martinez is the financial and other issues Mlive. Send her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.