Sodexo Workplace Trends report covers familiar ground

The latest annual Workplace Trends Report from workplace services provider Sodexo claims to reveal the crucial role the built environment has in organisational performance. The report emphasises the growing strategic role of facilities management and the importance of sustainability as an element of corporate culture as well as a trend toward designing offices to attract and retain top talent by emphasising productivity and quality of life. The report also identifies the importance of social media in attracting prospective employees instead of traditional e-mail campaigns and other media.

“The workplace, and the environment it creates, is now a key tool for supporting work, for shaping the experiences of the workforce, and for producing competitive advantage,” said Michael Norris, COO, Sodexo North America and market president, Corporate. “Facilities management has evolved and is simply no longer about just managing the facility, but rather it’s now about engaging and enabling people to be productive, and creating value for the organization and its communities.”

The 2013 Report* identifies 12 significant Workplace Trends:

• The Built Environments Crucial Role in Organization Performance
• Superstar Recruitment – the Power of Community
• Inspiring a Connection to People, Community and Brand Through CSR
• A Contemporary View of Inclusion and its Effect of Psychological Health
• 21st Century Mentoring
• Thriving in the Cloud
• Ushering in the New Era of Recognition
• Facilities Management: A Strategy, Not a Tactic
• Data Reporting OUT; Predictive Modeling IN
• International Design and Construction; a Shifting Paradigm
• The Changing Office…Literally
• Integration as THE Solution

Among its 12 leading trends, the Report takes a look into issues ranging from recruiting and mentoring talent to the corrosive effects of workplace bullying, and from the distinct benefits of sustainable working environments to integrated people and facilities solutions that deliver increased individual and organisational performance.

While the influence of the younger generation of workers is significant, with 86 percent of Millennials entering the workforce now saying they would consider leaving an employer whose values fell short of their expectations, all four generations in the workforce see corporate social responsibility as a potential motivating factor at work.

The report claims that the needs of the current working generation are significantly more complex and dynamic than previous generations. So much so that creating efficient, effective, and flexible work environments that take into account an individual’s wellbeing have become a critical objectives for organisational leaders.

The Report claims to demonstrate how progressive organisations are now understanding and solving for human needs when developing workplace services and solutions in unique ways, such as designing strategic “Life/Work Ecosystems” and evaluating the impact of these on improved service, productivity and well-being.