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Gen-Z’s Input On The Workplace and Communication Methods
05/05/2016
Written by Mitchell vom Scheidt and Loulya Mekkawy, aged 15 and 14 from Tanglin Trust School in SingaporeWe are currently on our Work experience at Cegos Asia Pacific and here are some of our thoughts and expectations of the future workplace.Our generation definitely has certain expectations of the future workplace. Coming from a school where group work is highly encouraged, as well as the use of technology, the environment we would like to work in must offer certain characteristics.1) Face-to-face communication We strongly believe face-to-face communication influences better teamwork skills which is essential when working with other people to complete a certain task. Although all employees in a company may have similar goals, different people can bring unique ideas to the table, encouraging the topic of discussion. Whether it’s if you’re working on a long-term project or a 1 hour task, discussing your ideas always helps to come up with the best solution.A collaborative work space is something we will highly valueDepending on the industry of work as things stand, different working conditions are required for different types of industries. Banking and Finance: many employees are working individually in their own space, sitting at desks and typing on their computers.
vs.
Media and Marketing: An open space with little offices and more collaborative spaces. Teams of people are put together and are set tasks to complete, forcing the idea of communication.Collaboration is something we feel strongly about, working with others and having multiple opinions and ideas to discuss is more beneficial and efficient than working alone. Therefore, some of the more traditional industries may have to adapt to attract Gen Z’ers like us.2) Technology: Used but not abused!We see technology evolving in our day-to-day life and in the future, it will be advanced to the extent that it can help us run our businesses even better that it currently does. We encourage the use of technology, but it should not be abused. Instead, we believe it should be used in a meaningful way that assists a person in the work that he/she does and doesn’t overwhelm them.Technology can help us by:
Getting work completed faster which improves productivity and efficiency.
Improving collaboration and interaction with others. eg, interactive whiteboards, remote social community tool, communication tools and chatbots etc.
Helping connect companies with customers as much as internally via social media and industry specific online communities.
Technology should have a wider variety of uses in the workplace aside from than just sending emails, which still seems to be a main use, creating documents, managing process. It’s about engagement and being able to collaborate and participate in projects / activities with the people we work with. Closer human connections through the right tech!3) Time managementBeing prompt and timely with your actions and commitments is the foundation to ensuring your company has strong time / priority management and is productive with the time it has. We want to contribute and be productive and we don’t want that to be impacted by other people being unwilling, unproductive or uncaring about deadlines and priorities.Productivity can be improved by:
Having a positive attitude towards the work that you do and finishing your tasks at the highest standard.
Not taking unnecessary breaks so you are working for all your required hours and demonstrating your strong commitment
In summary, we believe that the work environment should have a positive and warming feel. Employees will be encouraged to work to their fullest ability and as a result will also be more productive as a team. Technology will definitely help us become more efficient in the way we work in the future, however it will never overpower the human touch.
