The workplace is a critical part of providing this kind of experience since the built environment sends important cues about the culture of the organization, what the organization values, and the ways in which people are prioritized.

GlobeSt.com: What are the top workplace amenities that today's talent is seeking?

Brower: Today's talent is seeking a variety of things. To meet their needs, it's important to start with an understanding of what's driving the demands for the amenities in the first place.

• People want to feel their work has an impact, and this is a fundamental element of their engagement. Space to connect (think: work cafés, break areas, gathering spaces and plazas) top the list of desired amenities because they provide the opportunity for people to interact, align, and focus on their work together.
• When people at work are collaborating, they are more likely to be satisfied and recommend their employer to others. Amenities that support groups working together, such as project rooms, team-dedicated areas, company-sponsored group sports or extra-curricular activities help people build teams and support collaboration.
• A demand for well-being (which Mars Drinks defines as health, happiness and work-life fulfillment) also provides the rationale for key amenities that top talent is seeking. Examples include on-site massage, micro-napping stations, on-site childcare, on-site healthcare, healthy snacks such as soup, specialty drinks such as latte and espresso and company-organized community-outreach programs.
• Productivity also drives the demand for conveniences, such as parking services, dry cleaning, take-home cuisine or even the use of scooters for moving from building-to-building on corporate campuses. Here too, we see the demand for conveniently located break areas with plenty of taste and choice in coffee, tea, and hot chocolate that help people accelerate their work, focus their efforts, and kick-start their creativity for their most productive work to occur.

GlobeSt.com: What are the deal-breakers in the workplace—the things that lose talent to other companies?

Brower: In our study of 4,000 people across North America, we've learned that choice is a critical factor—that is, the opportunity for people to control things that are important to them. In fact, when people have meaningful choices, they are 57% more likely to be engaged, 55% more likely to be collaborating, 53% more likely to be productive and 86% more likely to have a sense of well-being. In addition, they are also likely to report they are:

• Satisfied with their life—96%
• Healthy—91%
• Having positive relationships—96%, and
• Happy—96%.

In terms of work, this preference for choice often manifests as a demand for freedom in where, when and how work gets done.

The workplace has a key role to play in providing variety in the space—formal and informal settings, enclosed and open settings and areas for group and individual work. It is also important that people are empowered to choose the technology that serves them wherever they are working. For many, the experience of the workplace has become inseparable from their experience with technology and the ability to connect and work anywhere. In addition, the space needs to be activated as a destination. Great coffee, tea, and other workplace beverages are a starting point that pull people into the workplace in order to connect and get work done in ways they can't accomplish virtually.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this topic?

Brower: Another critical factor that Mars Drinks discovered is the importance of the leadership role. Specifically, in our global study, we found that leaders have a different view of engagement, collaboration, well-being and productivity than others in the organization. They often see it more positively than associates or mid-level managers.

This is important because leaders need to have an accurate sense of the organization's situation in order to make their best decisions. Connecting in the break area, sponsoring regular coffee chats or making a point of eating lunch in the café are ways leaders can make themselves accessible in order to listen to people and glean important information so they can lead effectively.

IRVINE, CA—Engagement, collaboration, well-being and productivity are necessary in the workplace in order to attract and retain talent, Dr. Tracy Brower tells GlobeSt.com. Brower, a work-environment sociologist and global VP of workplace vitality for Mars Drinks, as well as the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations, which focuses on work-life integration and abundance, recently spoke at the CoreNet Global Southern California chapter event “Creating Workplaces That Really Attract and Retain.” We spoke with her exclusively after the event about the top workplace amenities that today's talent is seeking.

GlobeSt.com: What does it take to create a workplace that attracts and retains talent?

Brower: Based on our global research of 3,800 people, we found that attraction and retention are closely correlated with the four pillars of Workplace Vitality™: engagement, collaboration, well-being and productivity. Workplace Vitality, a concept developed through Mars Drinks' research, describes a workplace that is vibrant, thriving and alive with potential.

In our follow-up study with LinkedIn, “The Workforce Voice Powered by LinkedIn,” we found that people were more likely to recommend their employer and less likely to leave their company when they reported feeling a sense of engagement, collaboration, well-being and productivity.

The workplace is a critical part of providing this kind of experience since the built environment sends important cues about the culture of the organization, what the organization values, and the ways in which people are prioritized.

GlobeSt.com: What are the top workplace amenities that today's talent is seeking?

Brower: Today's talent is seeking a variety of things. To meet their needs, it's important to start with an understanding of what's driving the demands for the amenities in the first place.

• People want to feel their work has an impact, and this is a fundamental element of their engagement. Space to connect (think: work cafés, break areas, gathering spaces and plazas) top the list of desired amenities because they provide the opportunity for people to interact, align, and focus on their work together.
• When people at work are collaborating, they are more likely to be satisfied and recommend their employer to others. Amenities that support groups working together, such as project rooms, team-dedicated areas, company-sponsored group sports or extra-curricular activities help people build teams and support collaboration.
• A demand for well-being (which Mars Drinks defines as health, happiness and work-life fulfillment) also provides the rationale for key amenities that top talent is seeking. Examples include on-site massage, micro-napping stations, on-site childcare, on-site healthcare, healthy snacks such as soup, specialty drinks such as latte and espresso and company-organized community-outreach programs.
• Productivity also drives the demand for conveniences, such as parking services, dry cleaning, take-home cuisine or even the use of scooters for moving from building-to-building on corporate campuses. Here too, we see the demand for conveniently located break areas with plenty of taste and choice in coffee, tea, and hot chocolate that help people accelerate their work, focus their efforts, and kick-start their creativity for their most productive work to occur.

GlobeSt.com: What are the deal-breakers in the workplace—the things that lose talent to other companies?

Brower: In our study of 4,000 people across North America, we've learned that choice is a critical factor—that is, the opportunity for people to control things that are important to them. In fact, when people have meaningful choices, they are 57% more likely to be engaged, 55% more likely to be collaborating, 53% more likely to be productive and 86% more likely to have a sense of well-being. In addition, they are also likely to report they are:

• Satisfied with their life—96%
• Healthy—91%
• Having positive relationships—96%, and
• Happy—96%.

In terms of work, this preference for choice often manifests as a demand for freedom in where, when and how work gets done.

The workplace has a key role to play in providing variety in the space—formal and informal settings, enclosed and open settings and areas for group and individual work. It is also important that people are empowered to choose the technology that serves them wherever they are working. For many, the experience of the workplace has become inseparable from their experience with technology and the ability to connect and work anywhere. In addition, the space needs to be activated as a destination. Great coffee, tea, and other workplace beverages are a starting point that pull people into the workplace in order to connect and get work done in ways they can't accomplish virtually.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this topic?

Brower: Another critical factor that Mars Drinks discovered is the importance of the leadership role. Specifically, in our global study, we found that leaders have a different view of engagement, collaboration, well-being and productivity than others in the organization. They often see it more positively than associates or mid-level managers.

This is important because leaders need to have an accurate sense of the organization's situation in order to make their best decisions. Connecting in the break area, sponsoring regular coffee chats or making a point of eating lunch in the café are ways leaders can make themselves accessible in order to listen to people and glean important information so they can lead effectively.