Want to attract energetic and well-educated young people to your office? Millennials care more about flexibility, teamwork, and career passions than other generations, so it’s important to modernise their potential workspaces.
Millennials make up 40% of the workforce, a statistic that is constantly expanding as older generations begin to retire. In order to grow your employee base in the rapidly-approaching future, it’s crucial that your company, positions and office are appealing to the Millennial worker.
Here are some tips on what Millennials want in a workspace and how to update your office to suit their needs.
Room to relax
Millennial employees work best when they are relaxed and enjoying their work. Help your employees to relax by updating the lunch areas or placing calming greenery around the office.
Another great option that may sound counterintuitive but has been shown to be highly effective are nap rooms. The changing landscape of modern offices like Huffington Post, Google and Uber include these spaces to allow employees to rest and decompress during their lunch break.
Designate a space for midday naps by simply marking an offset, quiet room and outfitting it with dark window fixtures and cozy pillows. This will modernize your office space, improve employee productivity and stand out to Millennial job applicants.
Collaborative spaces
Young employees have reported that they work best in collaborative environments where they’re able to communicate freely. Allowing your employees the freedom to meet, brainstorm ideas and talk things through in comfort will boost company creativity and productivity.
Consider adding a few extra conference rooms and soft seating. While this may seem like an unorthodox approach to an office, it will encourage face-to-face interactions and give your Millennial employees space to work together, ultimately resulting in more well-rounded production.
Healthy options
Millennials have been labelled “the healthiest generation ever”, and often live up to the name. Most young workers are very conscious of their diet, activity and lifestyle choices, so it’s important you provide options for them to stay healthy at work. Instituting corporate wellness programmes, including nutritional snack options in the kitchen and break room or providing standing desks are all great ways to show your commitment to employee health and happiness and attract top young talent.
Open desks
Modernising the workplace means ditching the cubicle. Not only do the confined walls of a small desk drain creativity, but they also prevent collaboration. It blocks communication and makes workers feel unnoticed and underappreciated. Open desk seating, however, avoids the feeling of being trapped for Millennial employees and encourages interdepartmental communication. This will help foster personal relationships among employees and boost their interest in coming into work. It will also let in much more natural light, helping workers reap the stress-relieving benefits of sunlight and lowering your environmental footprint.
