What Do Millennials Expect from the Office Space?

Creating a productive office environment is a dream for all employers. An office space which can attract new talents and which can retain them for longer is the ultimate goal of a facility manager of an organization. Now a new generation of employees known as Millennials has entered the workforce, so it creates a need to understand their preferences of the workplace before any such planning.

A Millennial is someone born in between the early 80s to late 90s. There is no fixed date of defining this term but it's widely accepted that anyone born between 1982 and 2000 is called a Millennial. They are known for displaying a high level of social consciousness. They are positive and ready to take new experiences. Millennials are also very demanding for the flat work environment and give high importance to work-life balance.
India’s larger population is under age of 30, which is really good for businesses. It's highly recommended for the businesses to adjust their workplaces according to the expectations of Millennials in order to provide them a productive and healthy work environment.

Here are few points to consider while designing office space for Millennials-

PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN OFFICE TIMINGS
Most Millennials prefer a flexible work schedule. They respect the work-life balance a lot and feel more productive in an open-ended work hour. Gone are the days when people work mechanically from 9 to 5. This generation is not hesitant in checking and replying work emails after office hours. They are ready to work from home in case of any personal issue. Millennials are ready to interrupt their personal time with work and vice versa.

How this trend is going to affect office spaces?

The employer should give access to their employees during nontraditional work hours. There should be such arrangement so that an employee can start working early morning or can stay till late in the evening. Let them use their own mobile and laptops for official work so that they can do important work from anywhere. Rate their work based on quality and quantity instead of their availability on the desk.

DOES OPEN OFFICE REALLY WORK?
It’s a common thinking that open office spaces provide more opportunity for collaboration. And it’s quite right too but does it really works for Millennials?

For years now, there has been a push for open floor office plans. The employer thinks that Millennials love collaboration and communication so it’s better to provide them open offices. But open offices are not what they seem. It creates a pressure on employees to look busy when a manager walks in the aisle. Open offices can be distracting for a lot of employees. Sometimes people need privacy to do their work.

So, what is the solution?

There can be specially designed areas for the team collaboration. Bigger companies now started providing a new concept called “Hoteling”. There are different types of work environments for different employees and situations in hoteling. So there are open offices for collaboration and unplanned meetings, and reserved spaces for those who want to work in privacy. Employees can switch from one setup to another depending on the work and situations.

PROVIDE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY IN OFFICE
Millennials are tech savvy people. They are using cell phones and computers since childhood. They are using technology to socialize with others and at the same time to do their work. So technology is not something extra for Millennials it’s a part of life for them.

This new generation is used to fast changing technology and expect everything to be cutting edge. So don’t burden them with older computers and slow internet. Invest in the new devices and technologies. An employer can also implement "Bring your own device" policy at the workplace. It can save money for the organization and please the employees too.

The whole idea of providing cutting edge technology is to make them more productive. Once employees will get the modern devices and software to work on then it will surely help the organization to achieve the long time goals.
Office Space?
Creating a productive office environment is a dream for all employers. An office space which can attract new talents and which can retain them for longer is the ultimate goal of a facility manager of an organization. Now a new generation of employees known as Millennials has entered the workforce, so it creates a need to understand their preferences of the workplace before any such planning.

A Millennial is someone born in between the early 80s to late 90s. There is no fixed date of defining this term but it's widely accepted that anyone born between 1982 and 2000 is called a Millennial. They are known for displaying a high level of social consciousness. They are positive and ready to take new experiences. Millennials are also very demanding for the flat work environment and give high importance to work-life balance.

India’s larger population is under age of 30, which is really good for businesses. It's highly recommended for the businesses to adjust their workplaces according to the expectations of Millennials in order to provide them a productive and healthy work environment.

Here are few points to consider while designing office space for Millennials-

PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN OFFICE TIMINGS
Most Millennials prefer a flexible work schedule. They respect the work-life balance a lot and feel more productive in an open-ended work hour. Gone are the days when people work mechanically from 9 to 5. This generation is not hesitant in checking and replying work emails after office hours. They are ready to work from home in case of any personal issue. Millennials are ready to interrupt their personal time with work and vice versa.

How this trend is going to affect office spaces?

The employer should give access to their employees during nontraditional work hours. There should be such arrangement so that an employee can start working early morning or can stay till late in the evening. Let them use their own mobile and laptops for official work so that they can do important work from anywhere. Rate their work based on quality and quantity instead of their availability on the desk.

DOES OPEN OFFICE REALLY WORK?
It’s a common thinking that open office spaces provide more opportunity for collaboration. And it’s quite right too but does it really works for Millennials?

For years now, there has been a push for open floor office plans. The employer thinks that Millennials love collaboration and communication so it’s better to provide them open offices. But open offices are not what they seem. It creates a pressure on employees to look busy when a manager walks in the aisle. Open offices can be distracting for a lot of employees. Sometimes people need privacy to do their work.

So, what is the solution?

There can be specially designed areas for the team collaboration. Bigger companies now started providing a new concept called “Hoteling”. There are different types of work environments for different employees and situations in hoteling. So there are open offices for collaboration and unplanned meetings, and reserved spaces for those who want to work in privacy. Employees can switch from one setup to another depending on the work and situations.

PROVIDE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY IN OFFICE
Millennials are tech savvy people. They are using cell phones and computers since childhood. They are using technology to socialize with others and at the same time to do their work. So technology is not something extra for Millennials it’s a part of life for them.

This new generation is used to fast changing technology and expect everything to be cutting edge. So don’t burden them with older computers and slow internet. Invest in the new devices and technologies. An employer can also implement "Bring your own device" policy at the workplace. It can save money for the organization and please the employees too.

The whole idea of providing cutting edge technology is to make them more productive. Once employees will get the modern devices and software to work on then it will surely help the organization to achieve the long time goals.

INVEST IN SOME AMENITIES FOR EMPLOYEES
It's an obvious fact that happy employees are the most productive employees. In order to achieve organization goals, you have to make sure that your employees are feeling happy about the work and work environment.

How to make your employees happy?

The answer is providing them those amenities which they need during work. Some bigger employers are investing a lot in employee incentives and perks. On-site gym, free transportation, free food, pet cares, and day care for employee's children in offices are becoming the norm these days. But for SMEs, it can be a daunting task to invest so much money.

So, what are the options for the SMEs for making their employees happy?

You have to calculate how much you can spend on your employee’s amenities and work accordingly. At least provide a coffee machine in office so that they don’t have to go outside for a hot cup. It will also make the office collaboration easy for them. Invest in some tutorials and or certifications for your employees. It will give them a boost in their career and they will feel obliged to the organization.

By providing Millennials a little perk you can make sure that your organization will get the shout out on social media. It will help you in getting the right talent for your company.

CONCLUSION

Every company is different. A single plan can’t fit for all. You have to decide what best works for your organization. The best way to decide is to communicate with your employees. Make a plan about the expenditure, communicate with employees to know about their expectations and implement accordingly.