What The Talent Wants In Your Office Design
What the talent wants plays a huge role in not only acquisition but office design. When one is in the market for a career change or a new job, expectations are high. The thrill of the hunt, the fresh change of people and place. The exciting opportunity to embrace the change is all part of this process. Stepping into an outdated office puts the brakes on that enthusiasm.
Does not matter what generation you are from or where you are in your career, a fresh start is a fresh start. We all have images in our heads about what that means. Office planning and design have come of age and progressive businesses are realizing that appearances do matter in the hiring process.
We’ve all been there: your first day of an exciting new opportunity and you are ushered into a dingy dirty office with a desk from the ’50s. Don’t laugh. It’s still happening! On the other hand, before you is a bright shiny new open office plan that looks and feels like study hall during your freshman year of college: institutional, loud, and unkempt.
In either scenario, you are expected to bring your A-game to the table with technology, expertise, and fierce personal style. In a space that may be very dysfunctional for you. Distractions, noise, crowded proximity, nowhere to meet with a client or focus on a task. These are frustrations that can fester and erode even the most dedicated multi-tasker.
TALENT WANTS & NEEDS
Office design has been very millennial-focused for the past few years, with a lot of distractions. Driven by the tech industry, where long hours are spent delving and problem-solving, bold distractions are the prominent feature of this aesthetic. What we are seeing evolve is a more sophisticated, toned-down environment with multi-generational amenities. Glass-walled meeting spaces and separation of seating areas, well away from office space, is emerging.
We are also seeing cross-training and onsite educational areas creeping into the design. These provide opportunities for mentorship, skill sharing and makerspaces where collaboration can take on a life of its own among your team.
Connectedness to the workspace, the tasks, and the vision of the company all parle into this equation. And this is the responsibility of the business owner. Empowerment starts at the top and filters down through every choice that is made within your business model. Right down to the office chairs. And the talent is paying attention.
The talent needs you, and you need them to grow your business. Level footing begins right here:
- Clean well-planned workspaces
- Integrated areas for privacy that don’t look like an afterthought
- Modern furniture that is comfortable and ergonomic
- Color, art, and innovative design that makes sense for your business
- Perimeter offices for those who prefer it over benching systems
- Great ambient lighting that is not too bright or too dim
- Opportunities to mentor and grow your skills in a team environment
If you are having issues getting and keeping talent, maybe a refresh in your office design can help address some hidden concerns. Do an anonymous poll among your staff, get HR involved, and ferret out some viable solutions. Planning a successful office design is not a one-sided, monochromatic event. It takes in all the information and adapts to the needs of all participants. Wherever they are in their career. The level of proximity to the vision of your business is what we all have in common. We have plenty of ideas and viable solutions to get establish this dialog of innovation in your workspace.
MEET JULIE SHEAFFER: Julie can provide you with answers and furnishing choices to fit your collaborative workspace needs. Her combined product expertise and application knowledge can provide a fresh approach to your office design refresh. Contact Julie at 888-910-3769 x129 or julie@officefurniturenow.com. For more inspiration visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!
