Work and Lifestyle Trends Sweeping 2018

In this day and age, the lines between work and home life are way more blurred than they used to be. With flexible hours, the ability to work from home, and benefits catering to personal needs, work and home life have seemingly blended into just one “life.”

Here are four trends you can find both in and out of the workplace that are contributing to this blend.

Artificial Intelligence

These days, 16% of Americans own a smart speaker like Alexa or Google Home, with the number on the rise. At home, Alexa can be used to check the weather, call your mom, turn on your bedroom lights, or look up the definition of “serendipitous.” At work, Alexa can check stock prices, call your clients, turn on your desk lamp, or look up the definition of the term “click-through rate.”

 More homes and workplaces are taking advantage of artificial intelligence. Offices are also using chatbots more and more to engage with customers outside regular 9-5 hours. Welcome to the future.

Prioritizing mental health and wellness

Wellness used to simple mean “not being sick.” Now, it’s the overall combination of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being and the things you can do to keep these in check.

Today, not being flexible is literally a competitive disadvantage. People are looking for opportunities to take a step back from overwhelming work, cope with stress, and remain physically active, even at desk jobs. Wellness has transformed from a personal desire to a workplace desire as well.

Working from home

The Gig Economy shows no signs of slowing down, with many creatives and business people working freelance and setting their own rates and rules. This nearly demolishes the line between work and home life as gig-based workers are at work and home at the same time.

For those who can’t quit their day job, the allure of working from home and allowing your work email and tasks to intrude upon the same space you relax and sip your tea is increasingly common. Working close to home and being able to walk to the office or leave early if you need to is also alluring.

Sustainability

The Green Movement, too, is full steam ahead, with more people realizing their responsibility to the planet. The face of the evil corporation dumping oil into the ocean isn’t exactly a thing of the past (yet), but it’s uncommon.

Instead, corporations flaunt their sustainability and green business practices. The same trends can be found in the home as well. Two-thirds of Americans say they recycle regularly and three-quarters report they are concerned about the environment.

Efficient spaces

You would be hard-pressed to find an at-home appliance without an Energy Star efficiency label on it these days. Americans are also moving into trendy, smaller spaces and maximizing the area with Pinterest hidden storage cupboards and loft beds.

Similarly, office dwellers are maximizing their own spaces, using open-office floor plans and running cost-analysis calculations about the space taken up by the elevators and the cost of utilities. Making the most of what you have is key in and out of the office.

Like this blog? Read on to learn more about how your office space affects your productivity.

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