Here they come! Millennials are storming into the workforce, and they are bringing with them more college degrees than the generations before them. This means more and more companies are rushing to recruit these new, talented workers.
As you can expect, the competition between companies is tough, especially in the tech world. So what are they doing to give themselves that edge that appeals to the Millennial crowd?
One thing companies have noticed is that this group of young professionals is highly influenced by the aesthetics of an office. They are drawn to a workspace that is similar to a college campus design. If your office space is a perfectly square matrix of isolated cubes, you may have the members of this crowd walking right back out your door.
College furniture is the new way to go. A college campus today boasts a wide variety of places to gather and study. Wi-Fi available everywhere makes for both indoor and outdoor study spaces. Comfortable, informal seating. Libraries have conference rooms. Labs have group benches and work tables. Imagine going from that to a designated desk space with no sign of the outside world insight?
With many Millennials accepting jobs at companies that have an open design full of innovative college furniture and flexibility, here are some things that might help your company attract more of these sought-after new pros.
1. Give Them Their Freedom
They’re coming off of a place that has Wi-Fi everywhere and the freedom to move, both inside and outside. This generation is completely comfortable with technology, so expanding their work platforms to tablets and smartphones is a huge perk.
2. Space to Collaborate
Collaboration is promoted as college campuses with designated spaces to gather. Corporations are adopting a campus-style complete with small meeting rooms, upgraded cafeterias, and conference rooms, all interwoven with the type of college furniture and the communication technology necessary to keep them connected.
Some new office buildings and even doing away with ‘offices’ altogether. Instead, they’re leaning toward a new trend called ‘hot-desking’, which involves multiple workers using the same work station during different blocks of time, for different assignments, etc.
3. Work Neighborhoods
Work neighborhoods further extend the concept of freedom to move around in order to do a job. Rotating between work locations throughout the day based on tasks at hand is supported by college furniture such as science lab workbenches, large tables in an on-site coffee shop, a quiet desk in a library.
Another addition to these neighborhoods that offers a new ergonomic comfort to the individual workspace is adjustable height desks. It’s about time we gave the option of sitting or standing, as well as the flexibility these desks offer for people of all shapes and sizes instead of the traditional one size fits all approach.
4. Let There Be Light!
Bright, natural light and outside views are a must-have for these campus-style offices. Say goodbye to the drop ceilings and fluorescent lighting. Natural light improves mental health and helps lighten the mood of workers.
5. Break Down The Silos
An increased chance of encounters with workers from different departments is given by providing more casual zones for collaboration. There are several items of college furniture that support these zones such as mobile pedestals, dry erase top tables and rolling mobile whiteboards.
6. Work Outside
College students often take advantage of the opportunity to study outside. Boosted Wi-Fi signals that can reach outdoor seating and cafeterias is a big trend. Fresh air can recharge employees and boost their productivity.
7. Don’t Forget the Privacy
While the open space design is a big feature, there is still a need for smaller, private spaces where workers can go to concentrate. These spaces offer custom furniture that is both comfortable and functionally similar to what college furniture would offer in a quiet zone in a library.
If you are looking for a company to install college campus office furniture for you, Quality Installers is the way to go. They will help you select what furniture would be best for your environment and will install it for you fast and with the highest quality on the market.
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