As Registered Interior Designers (RID), we are required to participate in Continuing Education Program Hours (CEPH) pertinent to the health, safety, and welfare of the public.  Fortunately for designers, many companies are working hard to present us with exciting, new program options.  These days, it’s relatively easy to sign up for interesting, relevant, and fun courses that help meet our CEPH requirements while furthering our passion for the interior design industry.

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I recently attended WorkplaceOne, a fantastic continuing education unit presented by Kerry Walton, RID with Teknion and hosted by OfficeSource, Ltd. Here are some of my notes from the event:

Question 1:  Why is today’s workplace changing so rapidly? The presence of multiple generations in a single working environment, combined with ever advancing technology at employees fingertips, is placing new demands on corporate structure.  For instance, at PPDS, smart phones accompany our design team at staff meetings, in the field, and at home allowing constant information exchange at ALL times.

Question 2:  What does today’s workplace look like? Employees are abandoning their private walled offices for smaller footprint workstations and even collaborative shared spaces. Who doesn’t enjoy sipping on coffee in a lounge area expanding on an idea with a co-worker?

Question 3:  When are today’s employees happiest? Statistics show employees respond very well to flexible/mobile work arrangements, collaborative office areas, workstations with a view, and overall healthy indoor working environments.  As Division Director of PPDS, I see a direct correlation between happy employees and company productivity and efficiency.

Question 4:  How do we embrace change in today’s workplace? As interior designers, we are challenged to continually think and work outside the box.  It all comes down to helping clients define their current workplace needs while anticipating their future needs.  It’s not surprising that given these changes, future staff additions don’t always require a larger footprint. Time and time again, PPDS’ expertise and knowledge allows clients to creatively maximize their existing space more efficiently.