As per a Business Today report, 50% of the working population is going to be millennials by the end of the year 2020. Millennials are leading the world today. With youth being the largest part of the Indian population, they have a definite say in everything happening around. And when it comes to the working environment, the millennials are the torchbearer of the future workplace. So what kind of work environment are they looking for?
One thing is for sure. Millennials do not like the concept of cubicles and closed office spaces. A managed working space is the one ideal for the millennials. It is a rented/leased space with a lot of control over the area. Businesses sign up a fixed deal with the office provider, generally for a minimum of three years. The team can design and prep up space as per their themes and liking.
There are lots of freedom and special facilities a managed office offers which can be lucrative to the younger generation. Some of these features are:
1. Creative Control
A managed workspace gives complete freedom to design the office interiors the way the team wants. The clear landscape is all theirs to show creativity. This is unlike a serviced or co-working space where one cannot do anything creative to the space offered. The team can recreate to reflect the aesthetics of the brand, to match the business needs.
2. Ergonomics
Workspace ergonomics is a very crucial factor to increase overall productivity and employee satisfaction. People spend 8-10 hours of their day in the office, hence, everything from the chair type to eco-friendly interiors can impact the mood of the employees. Having a managed office space can give the liberty to set these interiors as per the comfort of the people.
According to Forbes “millennials have had an outsized influence on interior design — particularly in the workplace.” More open spaces than closed cubicles, casual work setting, active furniture, colorful aesthetics are some of the amenities managed offices offer which millennials look for.
3. College-like environment
Stepping fresh out of the college environment, the millennials still are mostly in the same zone of freedom, friendship, pulling out all-nighters, working on deadlines, collaborative work. Giving such a familiar environment can ease out their transition process from a student to a newbie in the corporate world. It can boost their morale and confidence in their work. This, in turn, increases their productivity and output. So, it’s a win-win situation.
4. Amenities
A CBRE report says, “70% of millennials would make various trade-offs to secure a better workplace.”
Millennials are working longer hours due to increasing workload and have less time to leave the office to get their errands done. They favor amenities as their top priorities over everything else. Facilities like 24*7 coffee, informal environment, flexible working hours, team outings, comfortable seating arrangements like bean bags, informal arrangements, etc. attract Gen Z and millennials.
They have a strong aversion to being confined to a desk or cubicle, therefore more open-planned layouts with flexible activity-based settings, break-out zones, meeting pods & terrace cafeterias fostering conversations over coffee & food are hard to miss at coworking spaces.
5.Sustainability
The younger generation is more concerned about the environment and climate change. They want to be a part of supporting nature in some or the other way. The current managed working spaces are more drawn towards green buildings . So, it does attract millennials. According to a Deloitte 2016 Millennial survey, the millennials want the businesses to focus more on people, products, and purpose rather than the profit. Using recycled products, lesser resources like water and electricity, green interiors, etc. are just a few ways to gain millennial attention.
6. Knowledge Sharing Community
Open spaces in managed offices welcome people to gather and have conversations. This is a very good platform for people to come together and share knowledge across various domains. This encourages work collaboration and increases inter-department and team output. When people gather, they not only have fun but learn from each other and make business connections. Millennials love such an environment and tend to follow work and discuss philosophy.
Led by the emerging millennial population, the workforce of India has gradually evolved and so have the workspaces. The desks are no longer confined and employees desire a holistically driven workplace. Organizations today are striving to make their workplace the ideal environment for employees to flourish. According to Harvard Business Review, the managed offices offer a well-designed work environment that induces a well-curated work experience, the most important factor for the millennials to join any organization.
