Cafes, gyms and hot desks: Australian workers ask for luxury amenities in their workspace
Places to eat and socialise with co-workers were seen as particularly important for workers in the office space. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard
A new study has revealed Aussie office workers are looking for up-market amenities in order to lure them away from working from home.
The new Workplace Report released by MRI Software found that employees want amenities for socialising, mental wellbeing and physical health.
The report found two thirds of respondents nominated ‘hotel-style’ features as having an impact on whether to work for an organisation, with one in 10 seeing the lack of luxury facilities as a deal breaker.
Younger workers want more ‘hotel’ style amenities in their offices to embrace the return to the office.
Over a third of employees saw modern workplace features as important to them working in the office, with 11 per cent uninterested in a workplace without luxury amenities.
Half of the surveyed respondents nominated air-conditioning, free parking, and effective network connectivity as specific amenities looking for in an office.
Another 24 per cent of respondents chose hot-desking, bookable meeting rooms, and breakout meeting spaces as important for their environment.
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Around 24 per cent of respondents chose hot-desking, bookable meeting rooms, and breakout meeting spaces as important for their work environment.
MRI Software’s industry principal Brian Zrimsek said that over 6,000 consumers were surveyed across the US, UK, and Australia but all three wanted a hybrid work structure that combined work-from-home with in-office options.
“Attracting people back into the office – even if for part of the week – is vital to facilitating face-to-face interactions that boost collaboration, information-sharing, learnings, mentorship and the development of the desired company culture,” Mr Zrimsek said.
“Modern offices must be places where people feel welcomed and enjoy working while they are there. Creating work environments that reflect today’s more fluid working dynamics is critical to retaining and attracting the very best talent post-pandemic.”
The city has still struggled to fully recover from the impact of Covid lockdowns in 2020/21. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw
Other less common amenities chosen by workers highlighted the need for flexible spaces that would enhance the workspace in the post-Covid era.
Almost 30 per cent of workers surveyed wanted areas for socialising and an onsite cafe or restaurant while 26 per cent preferred an outdoor green space.
Many office spaces focused on improving ventilation standards and social distancing in the wake of the pandemic. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard
“Hotel-style office amenities and user-friendly work tools are emerging as a key part of the employer playbook for winning over new and existing staff,” Mr Zrimsek said.
“Visionary organisations are using technology in planning for their future as they refashion workplaces to ensure layout, capacity and accompanying features meet the needs of their teams – while using booking systems, sensors, desk screens, mobile apps and other tech aids to improve the office user experience and boost efficiency.”
While office amenities are of growing importance, especially for younger cohorts, they are only a deal-breaker for a relatively small number when selecting an employer.
