BY GUEST COLUMNIST SAM SAIA, BHC RHODES
There are many things the group of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000’s are called (i.e. lazy, entitled, self-expressive, open-minded) but one thing is for sure, they are the largest generation in the U.S. and will be an important part of the economy for years to come. This group of Americans are known as “Millennials.” They are the first generation to have access to the internet during their most impressionable age which has made them (among other things) connected. Growing up during the time when technology made great advances, this generation had the upper hand in becoming innovative tech-savvy multitaskers who want to work for companies with the same characteristics. The salary they bring home is not as important to them as working towards something they believe in.
According to TIME Magazine, there is an estimated 53.5 million millennials in the work force and this is only expected to grow as millennials currently enrolled in college graduate and begin working. Being a company which provides technical professional services, it was imperative our new office design attract the millennial generation.
What do millennials want most out of their work environment? The ability for teaming and being collaborative. In this world of always on the go, mobility is key to make communication easier, so we installed Wi-Fi throughout the office and all employees were provided with a laptop. Open meeting spaces were included in the design to encourage collaboration and numerous “huddle” spots were incorporated to allow small teams to get together for impromptu meetings. All that was needed to create this impromptu space was a small table, access to a phone and a dry erase board.
Our mobility plan also provided a mobile flat screen which can be wheeled anywhere in the office and enables teams to duplicate their laptop screen onto the flat screen wherever their meeting is taking place. This is great for video conferencing and reviewing multiple documents all at once. The ease of mobility has been of huge importance for our managers who work remotely. With the use of video conferencing, collaboration has not suffered.
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