The fact of the matter is that by 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millenials. Millennials are in their working prime right now, ranging in age from mid-’20s to early ’40s. Like every new generation, millennials have slightly different motivations in life than other generations, and one of their top 3 considerations when looking for work is agile working arrangements.
What Is Agile Work?
The term agile work is often swapped out with terms like flexible work, hotdesk, or remote work, but it is more high level than that. Remote work, hotdesks, and flexible work hours are the infrastructure that supports an agile work culture.
Agile working is the theory of shifting your workplace culture to empower employees to work in whatever way they can to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, without limitations on how, when, or where they work. It’s about being agile and nimble to deliver the best service possible to your clients.
How Is Agile Working Better for Everyone?
At first glance, the idea of agile working may seem like a bid to cut costs and take away personal space from employees, but it’s not. When you look at it from a dollars and cents perspective, agility is actually better for your office budgets than you might think, and it gives your employees more personal autonomy, which is something millenials look for in a job. Empowered to make their own decisions, and given the tools and resources they need, millenials will get the work done creatively and efficiently. They value the ability to make decisions about how to best complete projects.
At any one time, only 50% of office space is occupied in a traditional office. It could be because staff members are working from home, or they’re on the road for work, or out with clients. In large corporations, how many office suites sit empty for months on end because the staff is working in another location?
Regardless of industry, an increased amount of office staff are spending more time out of the office as companies grow and expand their reach. When your staff is on the road most of the time, you’re furnishing, heating, keeping the lights on, and paying a lease on a building that’s mostly empty.
How Do We Create Agile Office Infrastructure?
It’s important to support an agile office culture with an agile infrastructure which lends itself well to smaller office spaces and flexible furniture. It’s important to have an office space that clients can come to for meetings. But you may need less space than you think you do.
Agile office furniture choices, like flexible furniture that can be moved and adjusted, can help support agile work. Desks that can transition from a standing desk to conference table to workstation addition requires fewer pieces of furniture in total. Embracing smart technology, like more efficient lighting, smart thermostat systems, and laptops can also have a significant impact on annual costs.
Shifting to an agile work culture that is based on trust, empowerment, and personal responsibility can help you deliver better service. Supporting that culture with agile technology, equipment, and office space can help you save massively on annual CRE costs.