In today’s workplace, you are more likely to find water bowls and leashes lying around than ever before. The tech industry is well known for allowing associates to bring their furry family members into the office, and in the glow of a growing number of studies supporting the positive benefits of pets in the workplace, many more employers are playing along and welcoming Fido. After all, one recent study found that 70% of employees said pets at work have a positive impact on office dynamics and workplace morale.

Interior design and office furnishing pros Gensler’s Director of Workplace, Maria Martinico, ICE founder/CEO DeLinda Forsythe, CORT Business Development Executive Barbara Cavanaugh and Illumina’s Jenny Durbin shared their insight to furnishing an open, collaborative office space and the special requirements of that type of environment. Durbin, manager of Global Facilities Planning and Workplace Innovation at Illumina, said furniture is key to the design of any space, so it is important to bring in the furniture provider early, preferably along with the architect during the schematic design phase.

Collaboration in the office is a must, and now more companies are understanding the value in connecting outside the workplace, too. The “premium” coworking trend has swept large organizations for a number of reasons. It caters to established professionals like business travelers, high-growth organizations that want to keep offices smaller for P&L reasons and innovative organizations that want to expose employees to outside entrepreneurs.

The days when employees have allocated desks are numbered as more organisations move towards Activity Based Working and let their staff choose how and where they work.