Flexible working in future: Millennials changing the work culture?

When talking about future of work, one cannot ignore the impact of the latest generation entering workforce, that is, the Millennials. It has been predicted that young adults, born between 1980 and 1995 and currently under 33 years of age change the work culture in the future. A recent report on young professionals conducted by Ericsson ConsumerLab shows that Millennials value the ability to bring their personal life to work as they are continuously communicating with their family and friends and appreciate goal-oriented working culture, which gives them responsibility to decide where and when work is conducted. According to the report Millennials are skilled in using different communication tools and they utilize their personal networks to solve work-related issues.

Similar results are shown in a report conducted by PwC in 2013. NextGen: A Global Generational Study reveals that Millennials appreciate flexible working options, but so do their non-Millennial counterparts. However, flexibility in where they work and how much they work is a key-driver in Millennial work satisfaction whereas non-Millennial generation places greater importance on pay and development opportunities.

So, flexibility is an important issue for companies recruiting future talents. In CityWorkLife project we will soon conduct surveys on how the flexibility needs of employees in different age groups are met in their organizations. Stay tuned for new insights!