Report from the WOW! Jelly Session titled “What is the ideal office for the new generations?” hosted by Herman Miller in Milan.
Positive atmosphere, flexibility, freedom of choice, spaces for relationship, on demand environments that change as theatrical sets, the possibility of having fun and happiness, and cultivating one’s passions.
Last but not least attention to the physical quality of the workspace.
These are some of the main factors for a workplace that makes the younger generation happy.
The meeting opened with a transversal and intergenerational theme: Happiness.
Daniela Di Ciaccio spoke of happiness as a strategy and practice for a positive organization (see the article “Happiness first and for everyone”)
66% of millennials declare themselves dissatisfied with their company: grown up in a social and agility context, they cannot accept to work within rigid, hierarchical and competitive organizations with a hostile climate that generates anxiety.
Andrea Montuschi presented the results of a survey by Great Place to Work on young people with significant data on what they enjoy and what they would like to change in their company (the survey is summarized in this article).
“One hour a day at least you have to be happy” is the motto of Zeta Service awarded Best Workplace for Millennials 2018 by GPTW.
The employees – an average age of 34 and 60% millennials- work in open space but with assigned desks that can be customized as desired; never flat and monotonous spaces, then. Everyone is given the maximum freedom of choice, in moving to meeting rooms and other areas when more concentration and privacy is needed.
A different office, how?
The research carried out by Herman Miller presented by Simona Giacalone indicates the predictions for the future of work.
Mastering the work-life balancing act
Making time for face time
An Amazon approach to staffing
Office design on demand
The decentralized office
Mario Colombo underlines that the definition “young people” there is a variety of aptitude types that have different needs. A study has identifieddifferent percentages of Drivers, Guardians, Pioneers and Integrators.
Only with the maximum flexibility can such a high variability be answered.
Ideas, experiences and food for thought.
How to marry the clean desk policy with the personalization that results one of the main needs?
Can we think of replacing “the” workplace with a “path” of different places?
The office as a social aggregator must also offer temporal flexibility and transversality: the new generations want to work whenever they want, not just at home; why offices still tied to the evening closing?
We must dwell on the attitude of young people to carry out more jobs at the same time and to gather on temporary objectives.
It needs furnishings like theater sets and mobile desks.
Coworking can satisfy the younger desire for sociality in a sophisticated way, can allow different groups to be contaminated and training areas, lounges and restaurants that avoid isolation, at the same time it can guarantee privacy and concentration.
Work-life balance is among the most important needs. The challenge is to offer a work environment with the utmost attention to young people and their passions.
Making available sharing convivial spaces, to meet and talk about their own interests: paragliding, games, cooking and wine tasting, for example. And spaces for bicycles!
And training courses to improve their passions, offering a stage for expressing and showing themselves to others.
The mature company can offer more than coworking: the sense of belonging, the pride of being part of a family.
The opportunity to contribute to achieving results for me and for others, the opportunity to create healthy and positive relationships.
There aspects affect the emotional sphere and go beyond the physical place; values that, coming back to the starting point, are related to happiness.
WOW! Thanks for participating to:
Mario Colombo (Sales Director Herman Miller)
Simona Giacalone (Specifier Account Mngr Herman Miller)
Daniela Di Ciaccio (founder 2BHappy)
Andrea Montuschi (president GPTW)
Cristiana Cutrona (architect, Revalue)
Jacopo della Fontana (architect, D2U)
Giuseppe Tortato (architect, Studio Tortato)
Elena Ciapparelli (architect, Reti)
Luciana De Laurentiis (Institutional Relations Fastweb)
Lorenzo Beliusse (MKTG director Reti)
Arianna Muliello (HR Generalist Zeta Service)
Danilo Schipani (Chief Marketing Officer Copernico)
