As Generation Y begins to take pride of place in the work environment, businesses need to be aware of how the physical environment that they work in can be used in order to both attract and keep workers from this more technologically sophisticated and digitally aware demographic, according to Colliers International.
In a study of new workers from Generation Y, Colliers International found that flexibility, and the need to accommodate both work and family life in a more equal balance, is what drives this new generation, with a more and more pressing need for the average workplace to offer "private space" at their work, as well as opportunities for socialising and fun. Colliers International believe that in managed offices in Central London, where there is increasing pressure on both housing and office space when it comes to both availability and cost, this dynamic is likely to become even more important if companies wish to be able to satisfy workers from the new generation.
"This generation has grown up in a world surrounded by modern information technology and rapid technological change," says the regional director of Colliers International's Research and Consulting department, Damian Harrington. "They expect to have the flexibility to work remotely." The growing influence that Generation Y has on the workplace is expected to slowly but surely reduce the demand for office space and an increasing need for flexibility in the space that is already in use.
