I’ve just finished my Skype call, and now as I sit with my iPad looking out of my home-office window, I realise, that this could be business as usual for the next generation of millennial.
I use Skype and they may use Snapchat or other emerging technology. I may call it flexible working, but they will call it work.
I recently caught up with a friend who transitions large corporate businesses relocating into mammoth style offices across Asia and asked her what the major changes she saw happening in Hong Kong. Interestingly, whilst her role involves bringing organisations together in one office, she felt that this just wouldn’t be applicable in the next 10yrs. Existing business needs around physical communication, physical meetings, and on-site team-work would move predominantly to virtual working. The future of commercial property evolving to simple shared spaces for collaboration purposes.
And whilst in my own mind, I feel that businesses would risk losing their culture, brand-identity and communication, I wonder whether ultimately it comes down to connectivity – just being connected. The sense of being part of a team, understanding the goals of the business, shared learning etc. I look at my children and realise that they are already a huge step ahead when it comes to technology – they feel connected to their friends – they are in contact with them around the clock. They have been brought up in a world where physical presence isn’t always necessary. They automatically send video messages or FaceTime to communicate. They don’t collect phone numbers and addresses, they simply pass on their social username. And they do this wherever they are and whatever time they feel. It is fascinating to think what work will look like for them – what will entice them to work for an organisation – will location have any importance at all? It is now 14yrs ago that ‘Googleplex’ opened – images of its creative work spaces, chill-out areas, and onsite gyms emerged – it would have been a recruiters dream to work with them. A truly fantastic place to work. Today we still talk about attracting millennials through offering incentive programs such as gym memberships, Netflix vouchers, training and development and opportunities to socialise, and we retain them by continually updating technology, offering rapid career progression programmes and where possible providing overseas placements.
However, if in the future, there was such a thing as ‘Googleflex’, I do wonder what that would look like and how it would change the recruitment landscape.
One to One Recruitment is committed to finding amazing places to work and amazing talent for the clients we work with. Please do call us if we can help you – we would still love to meet you face-to- face but can also Skype ;).