Millennial are often blamed for a lot of bad things by generations before them. However, one thing we can thank millennials for is their ability to pioneer better workplace cultures than generations before them. Years ago, an office would stereotypically be filled with over-stressed workers in business attire, working away in cubicles, counting down the minutes until they are free to go. However, the wave of successful startups pushing for better more enjoyable offices, such as Google and Facebook to name a few, has encouraged a paradigm shift, with many companies, big and small, competing to make their work environment a “fun” place to work.
The idea that work can be achieved with a more relaxed atmosphere and dress code is something that many innovative startups are proving. It is becoming increasingly clear that an employee does not need to be dressed in a freshly ironed white shirt and black pants in order to be at their best or to impress prospective clients and customers. Instead, the same level of work can be achieved while accommodating the more informal desires of employees.
As a previous article in Inc 42 stated “Whether this shift in work-culture brought about the startup boom is transient or here to stay, only time will tell. But if there is one thing to be said about them, it is that they sure know how to “work hard and party harder.”
What’s more, the success of these startups has sent a message throughout the businesses world. Times are changing, and offices that employee a more relaxed dress code, like Mark Zuckerburg’s unique t-shirt, jeans and hoodie style, are part of a new generation of thinkers, thinkers that are brimming with innovation, disinterested in the conventions of the past, constantly looking forward.
By creating a more accommodating environment for employees to have fun, they can also attract the greatest talent to come work for them, beating out the competition in stale, unattractive offices. And this is no longer a mentality which has prospered in Silicon Valley. Around the world, a variety of startups are showcasing their work environments as fun, energetic and sociable. For example, in Medellin, a major up and coming city in Colombia, the startup Talos previously advertised their office as a fun place to work, and as you can see from this video, it certainly doesn’t look boring. Who knows, in 50 years we could be riding hover scooters around the office, descending down to the bottom floors of office buildings in slides and playing on PlayStation 23s in the game room.
Disclosure: This article includes a client of an Espacio portfolio company
