The Leader - September 2007 - (Page 70) sta yIN G o N: e mp lo ye e re te NtI o N by de s I G N paramount. Just take a look at Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list: It’s not just great compensation and benefits packages that set these companies apart, but their corporate culture, which includes the way they approach the design of their physical workspace and the type of amenities they provide, from coffee bars to laundry facilities. Leading the “Top 100” pack in 2007 is Internet search engine Google. Why? Stock market success and phenomenal growth aside, it’s because the company provides a unique work environment for employees – from an array of gourmet cafeterias to rock climbing walls and lap pools to inviting meeting space and informal “open areas” that encourage impromptu collaboration and big idea-spawning. While recognized for its own distinct leadership in employee-friendly practices, Google’s management freely admitted to Fortune that their work environment has been influenced directly by that of previous list-topper, Genentech. The Northern California-based biotech firm – ranked second this year – is well-known for offering its employees a work environment that promotes collaboration and knowledge transfer, both face-to-face and via e-communication, and a culture that serves to enhance work/life balance for every employee. The latter is a big plus for the vast majority of knowledge workers today – especially the under-45 set, Generations X and Y – who specifically seek out employers who take such balance very seriously. Work/lIfe balaNce aNd WorkING remotely The high premium placed by employees today on work/life balance has prompted many organizations to allow arrangements such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules, and feature those “perks” prominently in their retention and recruitment strategies. The upside for employers – aside from having happier workers – is that a remote work force allows them to reduce the size of their real estate portfolios and thus, save money, according to a global survey released earlier this year by CoreNet Global’s Applied Research Center (ARC). Plus, cutting back on real estate spending helps employers avoid cost-cutting in vital employee compensation and benefits, such as health insurance, which obviously can be counterproductive to their work force retention efforts. The CoreNet Global survey also reveals that remote work really is becoming quite commonplace in today’s business world. In fact, the physical location of employees on any given workday has become so fluid for some companies that 65 percent of survey respondents – all from Fortune 500 firms – said they have stopped providing an assigned workspace to at least 10 percent of their work force. In addition, 73 percent said they had introduced desk sharing/unassigned workstations within the past year, and 60 percent had introduced or increased “drop-in” spaces for employees. What’s driving the remote-work trend, aside from the real estate cost-cutting goals of some companies? There are two key influences in play: n the changing nature of work – In today’s knowledge economy, work can be done anytime and anywhere, and much of it is being produced and delivered electronically and on a 24/7 basis. As a result, companies are rethinking the way they use space, and are focus- ing more on how and when office space is being used by their work force, instead of how much space needs to be designated to a specific number of employees. Understanding how space is utilized and occupied throughout a typical workday is vital to a company’s ability to adapt quickly to changing work force needs and business demands. Also, because today’s workers are viewed as intellectual assets, and essential for competitive advantage, employers are willing to try out “untraditional” work arrangements to keep employees’ operating at maximum brainpower and enhance their productivity. For many companies, this has meant adopting telecommuting practices, allowing for flexible schedules, and creating satellite offices or drop-in space, and because of work-enabling technology, employees and employers tend to adapt easily to these situations. Laptops, PDAs, cell phones and the like all can be used in the office or off-site, such as in the home, airports or even the corner donut shop – wherever cellular reception and Internet connectivity/hotspots may be. Of course, technology directly influences the need for office space, but with the wireless trend – and the shrinking size of certain key equipment, including monitors, towers and servers – the need for space just to house the “stuff” used for doing business is rapidly decreasing. n a burgeoning demographic shift – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2008, more than 22 million workers aged 45 years or older – the baby boomers – will leave the work force, primarily to enter into retirement. Employers will look to workers from Generation th e le ade r 70 september / october 2007
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