As indicated by a survey by the Randstad recruitment agency, an attractive working environment is one of the three most important aspects when choosing a job. Job applicants in the field of business services, a sector that recruits over 10,000 employees every year, probably place the greatest emphasis on this aspect. According to a survey by the ABSL, JLL and Skanska, nearly 80% of job candidates want to see their future workplace before signing a contract, which is why Czech business services centres are making a real effort to offer something more to their employees in this regard – including healthy food, meditation rooms or a fully equipped fitness centre like the winner of the ABSL Diamonds award Johnson & Johnson.
“In cooperation with our partners, the JLL and Skanska companies, we regularly execute surveys of employee preferences in relation to issues such as the location and equipment of offices. We are then able to offer our members interesting inspiration and help them attract high-quality and talented employees, often from abroad. Work in our field requires creativity and innovative thinking and so it is important for our employees to have areas for relaxation and rest available, as well as premium working environments,“ says Jonathan Appleton, Director of the ABSL Association, and he adds that we can often find not only desks and conference rooms in the offices of companies in the business services sector, but also dark rooms for meditation or a short relaxing nap, cocktail bars and terraces with outdoor kitchens and barbeques or rock rooms with a guitar and drums for example.
So what do employees desire at the workplace? The priorities of employees chiefly include a canteen or restaurant, which 88% of the respondents of the aforementioned survey want to have within reach of their office. They also consider a free and high-quality Wi-Fi connection (86%) and a garden or terrace (71%) important. Because employees of business services centres spend up to 84% of their working hours at their own desk, they also consider comfortable office furniture, sufficient light, high-quality air-conditioning and the option of opening a window (which is not always such a simple matter in modern office buildings) important. 60% of respondents are currently satisfied with the level of comfort offered by their workplace, so it is clear that there is still some room for improvement, even in a sector that considers cultivation of the work environment its priority. This also applies to environments suitable for concentration. “93% of respondents consider the opportunity to concentrate important, however only 37% are satisfied with the current situation. This is an aspect that companies are now devoting a lot of attention to. So-called open-space layouts are gradually being transformed and divided into smaller zones intended for individual work, meetings and collaboration between teams, relaxation or telephone calls,” Jonathon Appleton adds and gives the recently awarded project for the Johnson&Johnson Company’s new offices as an inspirational example.
The innovative working environment at Johnson & Johnson was awarded a diamond
The Czech branch of this producer of pharmaceutical, cosmetic and healthcare products moved over 1,200 employee from three location into a single building in Jinonice in Prague at the beginning of this year. “Our goal was not just to move all our people under one roof, but chiefly to create an environment in which they will feel comfortable and which will inspire them and boost their energy and creativity,“ David Mansfeld, Director of Johnson & Johnson Global Services, describes, adding that the offices are equipped with comfortable ergonomic furniture for this reason and, as well as actual workplaces, employees also have spacious kitchenettes, relaxation areas furnished with designer furniture or conference room equipped with modern technologies available. Johnson & Johnson also remembers to support a healthy lifestyle at it offices. This means that local restaurant offers a balanced and nutritional menu and meditation areas and a large fitness centre have also been established at the building with the goal of eliminating stress. Employees can also relax on the spacious terrace with a view of Prague during the day.
One of the goals of the entire project was to inspire employees to work together, use their creativity and share their ideas. “We wanted the appearance and equipment of new offices to be based on the ideas and needs of our people and so we involved them in the entire process of creation of the new offices,“ David Mansfeld explains and he added that open communication within the team was a key factor of success. “However, the project did not end with the move, on the contrary, our people can still be involved in innovations and present their ideas and projects, of which many are gradually realised, by means of new platforms. I am pleased that all our efforts have been crowned with success, both in the form of an ABSL Diamonds award and also – most importantly – in the form of the growing satisfaction of our people,“ David Mansfeld concludes.
O ABSL
ABSL (Associationof Business Service Leaders in the Czech Republic) je organizace sdružující společnosti působící v segmentu sdílených podnikových služeb. Jde o segment, který představuje silný zdroj zaměstnanosti v České republice. ABSL vznikla v roce 2013 s cílem podporovat společnosti z oblasti podnikových služeb, sdílet best practises a pomáhat s rozvojem aktivit svých členů i jiných subjektů působících v tomto segmentu. Zároveň ABSL poskytuje podporu zahraničním investorům, kteří chtějí v ČR zřídit svá centra podnikových služeb. Více informací naleznete na www.absl.cz.
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Marta Lipovská
PR Consultant
E-mail: marta.lipovska@prcom.cz
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