How to Attract Millennials with New Office Furniture
If your office has many Baby Boomers that are planning on retiring soon, then you may be thinking of recruiting some younger workers to replace them in the not too distant future. However, Millennials can be a fickle demographic to attract, and their discerning tastes may prove to be a challenge for your HR department. The good news is that there are several steps you can take to help attract Millennials to your business.
In fact, you can sell your existing furniture via office furniture liquidation, allowing you to use the money made to upgrade your office furniture and appliances as well. Here, we will provide you with some quick and easy tips that you can use to help attract Millennials to your enterprise.
Some Alarming Statistics
If you have several pieces of furniture that were built in the 1980s, 1990s, or even early 2000s, then it may be time for an office makeover. There are actually many reasons for this that go beyond a simple design upgrade intended to attract new clients, as Millennials (people born between 1980 and 1996) currently make up the largest percentage of the labour force in the country. This is in stark contrast to the Generation X demographic, which comprises people born between 1965 and 1980, and Baby Boomers, which consist of people born between 1946 and 1964.
The number of Millennials in the workforce will only continue to increase in Canada, as they continue to mature, while the number of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers will continue to drop in time as they reach retirement age.
Avoiding Design Myopia
More often than not, business owners become complacent. Work become hectic, employees come and go, and competitors continue to encroach on their territory. As such, many entrepreneurs simply place the design needs or aesthetics of their corporate space on the backburner, as they invest most of their time, energy, and money on seemingly more pressing matters.
However, what many business owners fail to realize is their office furniture can have a significant impact on their branding message and can make a bad impression on both prospective employees and clients. Hence, if you want to recruit the corporate elite to your workforce, then you need to make a good first impression.
In fact, studies have found that a person will form an opinion of someone, or something, within the first four seconds of their initial encounter. Ergo, you may want to renovate your office in order to attract top tier talent who will help maximize your work output while ameliorating the bottom line of your enterprise.
In with the New, Out with the Old
Millennials tend to be attracted to what they perceive to be cutting edge, hip, and trendy. As such, you should replace any furniture pieces that appear dull, drab, and antiquated. Millennials want to be excited about where they work and want to take great pride in their work. They would also prefer to work at an office that has a modern look and that makes them feel successful.
Open Spaces and Synergy
Millennials also differ from their Baby Boomer counterparts in other ways, as they value synergy and openness vis-a-vis privacy. As such, if you want to attract Millennials, you should create open spaces in your office so that they feel that they can easily connect and interact with their colleagues.
Moreover, Millennials have an innate need to feel wanted, so you can sate that need by creating an office space where they can mingle with their coworkers and share ideas openly and freely without judgement. Wide open spaces can also help relax and open the mind, which can serve as a much needed distraction when work becomes too focused or intense at times.
Furthermore, Millennials also prefer casual workplaces that are not intimidating or too corporate or formal in design. Thus, you should purchase casual furniture pieces and tables so that your employees can brainstorm in an amicable and casual environment. Now, while some older workers may feel that they are simply wasting time, having a lounge area with couches and the like can allow Millennial workers to feel relaxed and welcome, allowing them to be open and frank about the projects that they are currently working on with their coworkers.
Basic Ergonomics
Adjustable workstations are yet another pragmatic means to not only improve the productivity of your current workforce, but also attract Millennials to your team. That is, you should modernize your office to include height-adjustable workstations. This is because study after study has found that workers have more energy and work harder when they can stand and work every so often while at their workstations.
In fact, studies have also found that the Millennial generation may be the most health conscious demographic, and they also tend to place an added emphasis on body image over other generations. If you are still not convinced about the benefits of height-adjustable workstations, then you may want to consider the results of a recent Mayo Clinic study, which found that employees could lose roughly six pounds by simply working while standing for a few hours a day.
Work related stress is yet another big problem that many companies face. That is, stress at work can lead to more sick days taken, reduced productivity, and much higher turnover. In sum, creating an office space with modern furniture that lends itself to a greater range of motion and freedom can augment productivity, boost employee morale, and attract young and trendy Millennials while retaining your existing workforce as well.
Michael’s Global Trading
If you would like to purchase new office furniture for your office and/or would like to liquidate your office furniture or other such items, then please visit our website or give us a call at 888-471-5066 for a free, no obligation quote and consultation. Michael’s Global Trading is a boutique firm that helps companies manage their excess assets and inventory, and ensures complete transparency, clear and timely communication, and fair offers for corporate and industrial assets.