The 150-page report from PSFK Labs describes future trends in how and where people will work. It identifies 16 trends within 4 major themes - ideal workforce, intuitive connection, empowered culture, and agile workplaces. Examples are provided for 64 manifestations of these trends, such as digital badges to showcase skills, cross-organizational collaboration tools, and adjustable workspaces. The report aims to inspire organizations to prepare for an evolving workplace where skills training is ongoing, knowledge is shared openly, and physical work environments are flexible.

2. For your full copy of the report, visit:
www.psfk.com/publishing/future-of-work
ABOUT THIS REPORT
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150 Page Report
16 Trends described within 4 Macro Themes
64 Best In Class Manifestations of Change At Work
12 Future Work illustrated concepts
Reactions by executives from leading organizations
Supporting stats and research references
80 Recommended ‘Next Steps’

3. KEY TAKEAWAYS
The company of the future will be constantly changing form to efficiently take advantage of the opportunities presented in an
ever-shifting marketplace. As a result, the place, tools and systems of work will change and five larger themes will emerge:
ON DEMAND STAFFING
The skills and availability of employees and freelancers will be matched by an
algorithm against the company’s changing needs.
COLLISION COLLUSION
Physical, mobile and web workspace will be designed to ensure critical interaction
between colleagues, vendors, partners and customers.
IMPROVISED WORKPLACE
With the flick of a switch, furniture and software will adapt to the changing needs of
an organization
LIVING KNOWLEDGE
Information will flow across and up-and-down the organization constantly;
instantly accessible by anyone who needs it.
CONSTANT LEARNING
Employee empowered education will help staff own the direction
of the company.
Skills Marketplace
Contextual Rolodex
Quantified Employee
Visual Collaboration
Tele-presence
Co-Creation Spaces
Work(out) place
Fluid Technology
Pop-Up Workplaces
Networked Knowledge
Social Workflow
Feedback Culture
Digital Knowledge Update
Learning By Doing
Employee Stakeholders
Career Matchmaking

4. FUTURE OF WORK SUMMARY
The following summary presentation of the Future of Work report outlines the four major areas
of change taking place, showcasing examples from each of the four trends within the
overarching major themes listed below.
IDEAL WORKFORCE
INTUITIVE CONNECTION
Skills Marketplace
Career Matchmaking
Digital Knowledge Updates
Learning By Doing
Social Workflow
Contextual Rolodex
Tele-Presence
Visual Collaboration
EMPOWERED CULTURE
AGILE WORKPLACES
Employee Stakeholders
Feedback Culture
Networked Knowledge
Quantified Employee
Co-Creation Spaces
Fluid Technology
Pop-Up Workplace
Work(out)places

5. IDEAL WORKFORCE

6. LEARNING BY DOING
A collaborative, startup mentality is being adopted by workers
and organizations that allows for new ways to learn.
Multidisciplinary teams made up of people with diverse
experiences are allowing participants to teach each other and
learn at the same time.

7. Startup School Merges Mentorship, On The Job Learning
And Classroom Instruction
E[nstitute]

8. Interactive Facebook Application Connects Budding
Entrepreneurs Directly With Successful Startup Founders
#StartupLab

9. SKILLS MARKETPLACE
Badges and visual cues are helping to call out proven talent
and skills to help distinguish capable individuals.

10. Online Badges Depict Informal And Soft Skills
Mozilla Open Badges

11. Infographic Tool Transforms Media Profiles Into Visual,
Web-based Graphical Biographies
Vizify

12. CAREER MATCHMAKING
Systems are leveraging social and contextual information to
help better match companies and talent for deeper
connections that create lasting value.

13. Team-Building Matchmaker Helps Entrepreneurs
Find Suitable Business Partners
CoFoundersLab

14. Internal Social Network To Match Employers Needs
With Worker Mobility
Upmo

15. DIGITAL
KNOWLEDGE
UPDATES
Services borne out of the e-learning revolution are
enabling workers to stay up to date with the cutting edge
skills necessary to operate the latest, most sophisticated
technology on the market.

16. Company-Wide Learning Program Connects
Co-Workers To Keep Them Updated
Learn27

17. Software Plug-In Updates Users on Complicated Programs
And Sharpens Skills
Adobe Levelup

18. EMPOWERED CULTURE

19. FEEDBACK CULTURE
Micro-communication tools and open feedback channels are
helping to foster more constructive communication and reveal
workplace sentiment.

20. Service Lets Workers Send Anonymous Feedback To
Their Superiors
Happiily

21. Real-Time Suggestion Box Connects Managers With
Employee Ideas
Vetter

22. NETWORKED KNOWLEDGE
Collaboration initiatives are providing a collective expertise of
a diverse workforce creating an on-demand resource and
information library.

23. Layered Into Training Programs, Social Learning Improves
Learning Retention And Progress
SuccessFactors

24. Social Knowledge Platform Facilitates Knowledge Transfer,
Builds Expertise-Based Reputations
Crowdbase

25. THE QUANTIFIED EMPLOYEE
Talent management tools that leverage big data are revealing
hidden metrics tied to employee value.

26. Workers Rank Their Peers To Reveal Value To The Company
Valve

27. Hidden Talent Revealed Within Companies By Social
Metric Score
SilkRoad

28. EMPLOYEE STAKEHOLDER
Flat management organizations are empowering workers to
manage their work with greater autonomy and choose how
their time may best be spent.

29. Management Reframed As Mentors,
Encouraging Workers To Deliver Great Work
Grey

30. Team Members Self-Select How They Will Fit Into Each Project
Microsoft Lync

31. INTUITIVE CONNECTION

32. SOCIAL WORKFLOW
Cloud services are enabling team members to
simultaneously edit, comment upon and review an
ever-growing variety of assets.

33. Cross-Organizational Social Tool Enhances Collaboration
In The Project-By-Project Economy
Shift

34. Social Network For Doctors Improves
Cross-Specialty Collaboration
Doximity

35. CONTEXTUAL ROLODEX
New address book applications are helping to create deeper
connection by providing contextual reminders and prompting
worthwhile connections between co-workers.

36. Address Book Supplemented With Social Data
For More Informed Interactions
Brewster

37. Proximity Based Service Alerts Users Of Potential Clients
And Contacts Who Are Nearby
Intro

38. VISUAL COLLABORATION
Cloud services are enabling team members to simultaneously edit,
comment upon and review an ever-growing variety of assets.

39. Company Creates Google Docs For Engineering,
Design and Architectural Programs
Sunglass

40. Public Noticeboard Lets Everyone Share And
Discuss Ideas Virtually
Wallwisher

41. TELEPRESENCE
Technologies are helping employees interact remotely with
co-workers and objects stationed anywhere in the world.

42. Projector Lamp-Camera Configuration Shares Remote Desks
IllumiShare

43. Haptic Remote Robots Will Let People ‘Physically’
Be Anywhere In The World
Beaming

44. AGILE WORKPLACES

45. CO-CREATION SPACES
Collaborative spaces have spawned labs for initial ideas to be
tested and further inform innovation.

46. Crowdsourced Product Developers
Open An Advanced Lab For All
Quirky

47. Co-working Space Fuels Foodies And Collaborators With
Menu Of Cooking Tools
ForageSF

48. FLUID TECHNOLOGY
Compact technology continues to proliferate, further aiding
workers with the completion of tasks while on-the-go.

49. Modular Smartphone Could Replace Computer And Tablet
NexPhone

50. Keyboard Projects Key Onto Any Surface And
Fits On Your Keychain
CTX Virtual Keyboard

51. POP-UP WORKPLACE
Furniture and office designs are becoming increasingly
flexible to meet the ever changing demands of the workplace.

52. Colorful, Sound Absorbing Booths Give Users
Privacy In Public Spaces
BuzziBooth

53. Mobile Workstations Roll Around To Find The Best Place To Work
Hive Workstations

54. WORK(OUT) PLACE
Health-conscious designs are promoting physical activity to
overcome the sedentary nature of desk work and increase
focus and productivity.

55. Upright Furniture Line Positions Workers Between
Sitting And Standing
Focal Upright Desk

56. Treadmill Workstations Mix Walking With Working
TrekDesk Tredmill Desk

57. ENVISIONING THE FUTURE
In order to bring to life the Future of Work, PSFK Labs challenged creative
agencies from around the world to generate product and service concepts
that leverage the trends identified within this report. Creative innovators
from advertising agencies, interior design companies, digital design
companies and innovation groups have put forth a vision of the future that
will hopefully inspire your thinking.
Live With Design

70. PSFK LABS
PSFK Labs is the consulting arm of daily
ideas site PSFK.com. We are a a trends-led
business innovation company that provides
its clients with ideas and inspiration. Our
trends research helps companies evolve their
products, services and marketing
communications to meet the changing
behaviors and expectations of their clientele.
We employ a unique methodology to deliver
trends research, together with future-forward
business concepts and user-case scenarios
to a client list that includes American
Express, BMW, Microsoft, Target and Pepsi.
labs.psfk.com

71. For your full copy of the report, visit:
www.psfk.com/publishing/future-of-work
WANT MORE?
To request an in-person presentation,
please contact Hedyeh Parsia:
hedyeh.parsia@psfk.com
+1 646.520.4672
PROJECT DIRECTOR
Piers Fawkes
President. PSFK
piers@psfk.com
646.520.4672
CONTACT
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New York, NY 10012 USA
www.psfk.com
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