office-space

A fun and modern office design was the most important element for a work environment, closely followed by the inclusion of natural light and colour.

A new survey has revealed that 72 percent of job hunters decide if they want to work for someone within 30 seconds, based on their first impression of the company’s workspace.

The survey conducted by Office Broker – a UK-based Serviced Office Broker asked 1500 British job hunters what makes or breaks their decision to accept a job within a new company.

72 percent of job hunters decide within 30 seconds whether they would accept a position with a potential employer, and 81 percent said they would turn down a position if they did not feel the office was a place they wanted to be, and they did not get a positive sense of the office culture.

Chris Meredith, CEO of OfficeBroker.com said “if employers do not invest in creating quality work environments, it can make attracting talent difficult. The old cliché of first impressions count at job interviews actually works both ways as this poll shows.”

“The recruitment landscape has changed, especially when you see offices like Google & Facebook on TV with obviously quite substantial effort and budget put into creating what they feel is the ideal work environment for their talent. Employees are looking for work places that inspire them, increase their productivity and are essentially an environment they enjoy coming to each day,” said Meredith.

Whilst 41 percent of survey respondents said a fun and modern office design was the most important element of their work environment, 32 percent said natural light and colour would make them feel positive. Motivating and inspiring break-out areas would win the hearts and minds of 17 percent of people, whilst free coffee and snacks for the office was an essential for just 10 percent.

“Investing in creating that sort of work space is a win-win. The office space attracts high quality new recruits, and boosts morale among existing employees,” Meredith added.

Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.