Gen Z workers make up a significant block of today’s office workers. And what they want from their Workplace Experience might surprise you.
What do you picture when you think of Gen Z? If you’re imagining a 15-year-old with bright neon hair and a t-shirt with the word “Yeet” on it, we’ve got news for you! Today’s 25-year-olds are members of Gen Z, and that means that many of your coworkers probably belong to this maligned generation. So, it’s important to understand what they want from their workplace.
Flexibility
Thanks to the pandemic, there are two whole years’ worth of office new starters who may never have set foot in a physical office. It’s unsurprising that for them, flexibility has taken on a role of prime importance in the workplace.
Attempting to transition a worker like this to a rigid structure with assigned seating and inflexible hours is a losing battle. Instead, it’s best to cultivate a freeform setting that can allow these workers to spread their creative wings.
These are the workers most suited to hybrid working arrangements. They want to be able to spend some time working in their own space and some time in the office.
But they’re not just looking for flexible hours. They expect the office itself to be flexible. When these workers come to work, they expect it to be an engaging, collaborative space that brings out the best in them.
Intuitive, streamlined spaces
The office is not simply a building to Gen Z. Instead, it’s a shifting space for collaboration, ideally built around their personal working preferences. They expect the workplace to be moldable and reactive, preferring to shape their workspace around their ideal work style, not the other way around.
So, when Gen Z spend time in the office, they prefer to be in control of their space. That’s where bookable spaces come into play. By giving workers access to bookable quiet spaces, conference rooms, breakout areas, and more, you empower them to tailor their work environment around their own preferences.
Workplace tech that works for them
Gen Z is even more comfortable with technology than millennials. And when you’re building a workplace that offers the flexibility and customisation these workers expect, you’re going to need tech that can make it happen.
But that tech needs to fit seamlessly into both the workplace and the workers’ lives.
A Workplace Experience App like Equiem can offer your workers access to everything from bookable spaces, an active online community for remote work, food options, shopping, and so much more. Best of all, it’s available on smartphones or computers, meaning your on-the-go, digitally fluent Gen Z workers will be able to engage with their workplace and colleagues no matter where they are or what they’re doing.
This seamlessness and sense of persisting community is key, because it essentially extends the workplace from a physical space to a nebulous, shifting concept that follows workers wherever they go.
For Gen Z, that simply makes more sense than an assigned desk.
What’s good for Gen Z is good for everyone
Now, it’s true that Gen Z is an unusual generation. They’re coming of age during a time of unprecedented growth, both professionally and culturally. But what they want from their workplace is ultimately something that will work for everyone.
They want a more human approach. An office that feels like it’s designed to bring out the best in them.
