Como hosts 'Generation Y' breakfast briefing
Media
18/02/2009
Leading specialist fit out contractor Como gathered an audience of 80 property ‘baby boomers' including representatives from the BBC, British Library, SEGRO and JP Morgan for an insightful look into the new world of work and what can be done to embrace ‘Generation Y' (those born between 1978 and 1998). Led by generational experts Emma Reynolds and Bruce Morton of e3 Unlimited, the session examined the shift in work culture brought about by the new breed of employees and how their expectations and behaviours offer challenges to the workplace and for the property industry in particular.
Raised by the career-minded baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1960), Generation Y'ers have grown up with plenty of opportunities to enhance their abilities, making them naturally self-assured, goal-driven and keen to make their mark. This is a generation that doesn't recall a pre-internet world, a generation of people that have never had a landline telephone, a generation that may find traditional working environments difficult or even backward. Many of the guests agreed that the traditional, cellular office environment could be discouraging Generation Y'ers from using their best talents and were keen to see changes implemented in the workplace to meet their needs. For a fit out company like Como these evolutionary behaviours are already starting to show in the nature of the company's most recent fit out projects.
John de Lucy, Head of Estates and Facilities for the British Library commented: “It’s not just the office environment that needs to embrace the Gen Y culture, it is just as important for public realm space to move with the times and provide facilities which allow people the freedom to work remotely. At the British Library we have provided such facilities around the King's Library where all the furniture has power available within it and there is free WiFi. We are also looking into the need for a new digital research centre to provide flexible and collaborative facilities for digital researchers now and in the future.Â
Summing up the event, Robin Harris, Sales and Marketing Director for Como concluded: "It was wonderful to see our guests as eager as us to learn more about Generation Y, and how we can harness their attitudes and knowledge to benefit our organisations. At Como we are striving to create environments, both internally and on behalf of our clients, that give Generation Y the flexibility and variety they want in work. We hope in applying new, more rigorous, ways of assessing individual output, we will encourage and empower existing employees to work more effectively."
More on Generation Y:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y
