The Role of Technology in Modern Workplace Design

15th June, 2026

Technology no longer simply supports the workplace - it actively shapes how workplaces function.

As hybrid working becomes embedded, expectations around flexibility, experience, and performance continue to evolve. Over 28% of working adults in Great Britain now work in hybrid patterns, creating demand for environments that support multiple ways of working rather than a single fixed model.

The most successful workplaces are no longer defined by how much technology they contain, but by how intelligently it is integrated.

How Technology Is Changing the Workplace

Technology has changed more than the tools we use – it has changed expectations of the workplace itself.

Done well, technology improves efficiency, supports flexibility, and enhances employee experience. Done badly, the opposite happens. Research suggests UK office workers lose the equivalent of 24 working days annually due to slow or outdated technology, while digital interruptions can reduce productivity by as much as 25%.

At the same time, employees increasingly expect environments that allow greater choice, movement, and personal control throughout the day.

How Technology Influences Office Design

Technology is increasingly shaping design decisions from the outset – influencing not only what sits within the workplace, but how space itself is planned and used.

Space Planning

Hybrid working and smarter workplace data are changing how organisations approach office utilisation.

Traditional desk-heavy layouts are giving way to more agile environments, with some studies finding assigned desks sit unused 40–60% of the time. This has accelerated interest in activity-based working models that support different work modes across the day.

Workplace Features

Technology requirements now directly influence the spaces included within an office.

Video-enabled meeting rooms, private call booths, collaborative lounges, and hospitality-style environments all reflect changing expectations around how people communicate and work together.

Infrastructure, Wellbeing and Sustainability

The most important technology is often invisible.

Power, connectivity, environmental controls, and sensor-led systems increasingly support healthier and more sustainable workplaces. Smart lighting, air quality monitoring, and occupancy-based controls improve comfort while reducing unnecessary energy use – an increasingly important consideration as over half of UK employees say sustainability influences where they choose to work.

Technology in Action

Technology delivers the greatest value when it solves a real workplace challenge.

A High-Tech Environmental Ecosystem

At Investindustrial, the PNAT Air Factory combines plants, filtration technology, and live environmental monitoring to improve air quality and provide real-time performance data throughout the workplace.

Helpful Technology

For Smart Pension, workplace technology extended beyond functionality, with an interactive avatar introduced in reception to create a more engaging visitor experience.

Enabling Neurodiversity

For Sharkmob, technology supported greater environmental control – allowing individuals to adjust lighting and surrounding conditions to better suit different working preferences.

Want to Create a Workplace That Works Smarter?

Speak to the Maris team about integrating technology that enhances workplace performance, flexibility, and employee experience.