Just like your current employees, your potential employees have high professional and social expectations. To attract and retain them, it is essential to understand what is important to them. New employees are just as likely to stay with a company when the work environment is modern, humane and sustainable, as when an employer takes their wishes into account.
The fight against the pandemic has brought many realizations. It has highlighted the need for businesses to be fully present in this digital age. Being more focused on telecommuting and allowing employees to live a more sustainable and balanced lifestyle has become widely sought after. When considering the future of their careers, employees are paying a lot more attention to their working environment and conditions than in previous years. A multifunctional complex like Green Village in Grand-Saconnex, has been designed at the cutting edge of innovation and sustainability to unleash potential and increase employee happiness. What could be better than interacting in person with fellow colleagues in offices that have a friendly and ergonomic design, where people can discuss their current projects and personal news? Additionally, the pandemic has reminded us that human interaction is a basic need, for both current and future employees. It has also proved that the office is still the best place for ideas to flow, whether it’s around the coffee machine, in the hallway or between meetings.
Offer time for yourself
After covid-19, talent has been raising their standards. Baby boomers and Generation Z want to be able to work whenever and wherever they want. In addition to compensation, they also want their work-life balance to be respected. For some, their family will be a non-negotiable priority; for others, their sporting activity will require flexibility. Their working hours must be compatible with their interests. It’s up to the company to ensure that their employees can thrive in and out of the office, in an environment that checks off all the boxes that matter to them.
Because of its centrality, Green Village is very easy to access. The SBB train station is 15 minutes away by bus, the airport is just 10 minutes away, and the streetcar des nations, a taxi service, will soon offer a destination within walking distance. Resolutely green, and designed with pedestrians in mind, Green Village encourages soft mobility, so going to the shops on the ground floor is very pleasant, as is being able to reach all the international organizations in less than 15 minutes by foot.
With two underground parking lots, a car-sharing service and numerous secure bicycle parking spaces, it is easy to be mobile. Child care services on-site make life easier for employees with young children. Plus, the complex even has a hotel for visiting clients or partners!
Space for social exchange
Mental health has become a major social issue and underlines the importance of the human factor in the professional world. The workspace must be a platform for fruitful and warm social exchanges. “Previously, we lacked a reception area, to welcome guests and accept deliveries. The lack of a concierge service was a burden on staff members. So, the company chose to open its new offices in the Millennium business center in Crissier, near Lausanne. There, just like at Green Village, many services are and will be available, while allowing everyone to feel relaxed and reconnected with the wildlife.” – Sophie Barmpadimos, HR Business Partner at Schneider Electric Switzerland.
It’s a fact: real estate plays an essential role in the recruitment of talent and in their efficiency. A company must have the right spaces to create an atmosphere conducive to concentration and collaboration. “Our previous office space had become larger than we needed”, recalls Sophie Barmpadimos. “We moved to strengthen the ties between employees and to offer them a setting more in line with their expectations.” To ensure that setting is created, it is necessary to make sure that an employee’s concern’s can be heard. Hence the need for the company to offer a personalized and attractive development plan. A regular exchange with a superior allows for open discussion and a chance to hear individual desires, needs or wishes. If a company wishes to develop their human resources, a sustainable plan is the only way to go.
Attracting through exemplary nature
The values that drive the institution must be reflected through concrete actions, both internally and externally, by identified ambassadors who are involved in the causes and projects promoted by the institution. Their testimony proves to be an extremely valuable asset in convincing and attracting talent and in addressing employees. “It’s important to lead by example,” says Sophie Barmpadimos. Talent needs resources and confidence, but they also need role models. That’s why sustainable premises, whose design, construction and operation drastically reduce the carbon footprint, are elements that demonstrate commitment and are attractive criteria for new employees.
The first real estate project in Geneva, and one of three pilot projects in Switzerland, to follow the principles of One Planet living®, Green Village is a genuine space for breathing, meeting and other services. Its environmentally friendly buildings will be certified under the Swiss Sustainable Construction Standard (SNBS). The project relies on technological innovations that respect the environment. For example, its energy is 100% renewable, thanks to one of the very first electrical microgrids in the canton of Geneva. With its “design to build” offices, adapted to new working methods, it meets tomorrow’s trends and today’s expectations. Establishing a presence here means allowing employees to make a long-term commitment and to develop in exceptional working conditions, in line with their convictions and desires.
