The importance of creative workplaces for an organization

Without the right people, there will be no new big ideas or innovative innovative products – an organization simply needs this to survive.

This presents a major challenge for employers. The global unemployment rate has not been this low in the last decade, according to the International Labor Organization. This creates a fierce battle for new talent. That’s why organizations across all industries are looking for new ways to attract and retain top talent.

This battle is even fiercer for positions associated with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. According to job site Indeed, the shortage of people from this background has doubled in India between 2014 and 2018. Studies indicate that the need for these types of positions will quadruple (!) compared to other positions in the coming years.

“It’s a cliché to say that our people are the most important part of the business,” said Laurent Bernard, vice president, Global Talent Management at Steelcase. ”But, without the right people it would not be possible to create new ideas and innovative innovative products. Organizations often forget to think strategically about how an employee experiences his or her work.

However, this experience is extremely important for the employee. The experience will determine where an employee wants to work and to what extent they are involved and motivated in the organization. Traditionally, an office is seen as a place where people are parked to do their work. It is precisely by turning this around that it is possible to make a difference.

Not the work, but people should be central. An office must be built around the new social norms and nurture a mindset that leads to behavior that stimulates innovation. Over time, this will shape into an organizational culture that appeals to new talent and provides exactly the experience people are looking for.

Discover what employees want within your organization

Offering a work environment where an employee feels happy is not easy. Organizations where employee commitment is low often implement initiatives without asking the employees themselves first.

A global Steelcase survey of employees in an office environment found that more than half of people (51 percent) long for a place in the office where work is not the focus. 53 percent of people say they don’t have the right type of spaces in their work environment.

This is also consistent with other questions from this study. For example, at least 43 percent of the respondents appear to be convinced that a better relationship with colleagues and informal spaces leads to better mutual trust.

This data tells us that many people are dissatisfied with their current working environment and that this is also a possible reason for leaving an organization. Traditional benefits such as a higher salary are no longer enough to convince people to join or stay in a company if they are already active here.

For Generation Z (born between 1994 and 2008), salary isn’t even one of the top 3 priorities, according to the Change Generation Report conducted by Lovell Corporation. “One of the most significant changes between the past generations and Generation Z is the fact that this generation is focusing more on passion in their work and success.” “For the first time, passion is what people value most. Employers are compelled to keep the work environment vibrant and offer work that aligns with individual values, interests and generates growth.

A holistic approach

Jacob Morgan, author of “The Employee Experience Advantage: How to Win the War for Talent by Giving Employees the Workspaces they Want, the Tools they Need, and a Culture They Can Celebrate” is an expert in this field. After extensive research and the Interviewing 150 major global leaders, he was able to identify three key factors an organization should invest in to provide an optimal employee experience – physical space, culture and technology.

However, few organizations see these three factors as a coherent whole. Often these factors are handled by different teams and the investment comes from different budgets. Leaders within an organization in the field of facilities, technology and human resources do not often sit together. This is necessary to achieve success as an organization in this area.

According to Morgan, magic happens in a work environment when there is an overlap between the expectations, wants and needs of an employee and those of an organization. However, it is important here that people, places and technology must be approached in a holistic way.