Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

31 Dec Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

By the year 2025, Millennials are projected to make up 75% of the workforce. Hence, it is prudent to design office spaces that cater to their preferences, such as open spaces, ample natural light, and various amenities (2). The office environment is considered a reflection of a company’s culture, influencing candidates’ perceptions of how progressive, talent-friendly, and intelligent the company appears.

Both Millennials and Gen Xers seek to make a positive impact on society through their work, striving to join organizations that foster innovation and offer opportunities for skill development (1). Businesses that can fulfill these elevated expectations will gain a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining highly talented employees.

Here are just a few ways you can make your workplace demonstrate the high standards you and thoughtful corporate culture you offer:

Collaborative Spaces (aka Third Spaces)

• the ‘Third Space’ has long been a debated concept amongst office designers and how these spaces, defined as an area away from the desk and meeting room where staff can work, could best be utilized.
• Increasingly companies are looking for space efficiencies so creating these unconventional areas alongside adopting more flexible, agile work practices have risen in both importance and popularity and we feel these unorthodox working and collaborative spaces will become commonplace in new offices during 2018 and beyond.

Embrace a Transparent company culture.

• Transparency produces trust. Who can trust a company or person who doesn’t disclose information, who keeps everything close to the vest, who doesn’t share anything? (FastCompany).

Amenities or Perks.

• What do the campuses of Google, Facebook, and Netflix all have in common? Beyond being some of the biggest companies on the web, they all invest heavily in employee perks. Google offers perks such as mid-day gym classes and Facebook goes as far as offering on-site healthcare. If you don’t have the budget for these types of perks you can try things like group happy hours, group lunches, free snacks, gourmet coffee, wellness programs or out-of-the-box ideas like dry cleaning delivery or other errands that you can run for your employees. When people feel like they are being treated with respect and given the added perks, they are more productive and happier in their jobs.
• It turns out the most worthy workplace luxuries of all are the time-saving incentives. Claire Tompkins, a workplace productivity consultant says, “Today, time is more valuable than money,” So although a financial bonus is great, perks that save people time, like shuttle services, daycare, and on-site dry cleaning, are actually worth more in terms of quality of life.”
• Regular exercise and providing access to daylight has not only shown to help reduce depression but also improves absenteeism, increases productivity and is high on the list of employee satisfaction.
• Design your workplace to maximize daylight for all workers. Provide a fitness area, outdoor walking paths or discounted gym membership. Strategies that help employees balance work and personal demands sometimes have the greatest return as time is often the most precious gift.
• Flexible work schedules can help achieve such balance, as well as offering amenities like dry cleaning pick-up, access to food trucks, and even employee-of-the-month parking spot – all low or no cost strategies.

Get Flexible

• Forget choosing between open-plan or cubicle, breakout space or conference suite – the real office space of the future is “agile” and can be all of the above.
• Aside from just flexible spaces, younger, incoming talent are looking for flexible work environments as well. Telecommuting, remote working, compressed workweeks, customized working hours, part-time work and job sharing are just a few ways flexible work arrangements makes sure work gets done in the most effective way, from the most effective location.
• Employees aren’t going to want to stay with a company that doesn’t offer a flexible work environment. Large companies all over the county are shedding their outdated suburban campuses to migrate into more flexible urban office space. The main driver has been employee attraction and retention.

Go green

• Natural elements are shown to boost productivity by 8% and wellbeing by 13%. “In addition to bamboo walls and nature-inspired swoops and curves, today’s offices are tackling the planet’s problems integrally through green web hosting, grey water recycling, renewable energy sources, carbon offsets, and locally sourced food.”
• Go Green — Literally
  Make your office green with plants! They absorb airborne pollutants (which are rampant with off-gassing office furniture) and emit healthy negative ions and oxygen into the air. Having some green plants in the office also reduces that “sterile” look, making it more comfortable for everybody.
• Use Green Cleaning Products
  Environmentally friendly cleaning products protect the health of not only your cleaning staff but also your employees, by eliminating harmful substances and odors from the office.

Lighting

• Workers’ productivity declines if they’re stationed more than 7.5 meters from a window, according to data sourced by the International Well Building Institute. Exposure to natural light reduces anxiety and stress and gives employees a much-needed Vitamin D boost.

Emphasis on Mental Health

• With 84% of employees experiencing physical, psychological or behavioral symptoms of poor mental health, it’s essential to break the stigma of mental illness in the workplace.
• Encourage employees to use mental health days, providing assistance or coverage for therapy or counseling services and encouraging employees to practice self-care.

RI Workplace Retreat

We have developed a unique, fresh workplace solution that incorporates all of the above points to create a workplace that employees love to visit – Workplace Retreat. Check it out.

Contact Us

We can help! Contact us If your company wants to attract younger, incoming talent and you want to create an environment that will more inviting and flexible.

Sources:

1. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-dttl-2014-millennial-survey-report.pdf
2. https://www.globest.com/sites/paulbubny/2018/01/02/the-war-for-talent-is-reshaping-manhattans-office-landscape/?slreturn=20180714090348
3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahlandrum/2017/05/19/3-office-design-trends-driven-by-millennials/#646910967600
4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahlandrum/2017/10/12/5-workspace-changes-that-make-millennials-happy/?sh=63df6da2743a
5. https://www.chargespot.com/workplaces/millennialsgenzworkplace/coo
6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/24/the-best-workplace-luxuries/#4c370e5b636c
7. https://www.pepperellmillcampus.com/2014/02/17/outdated-office-space-holding-company-back/
8. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/future-of-offices-design/
9. http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/workplaces-flexible.cfm
10. https://www.zenefits.com/blog/7-types-flexible-work-arrangements/