Genesis Property: Almost 70% of Gen Z employees find it necessary to work from the office at least 3 days a week to maintain productivity and effectively collaborate with their team

Despite the changes ushered in by remote working and the hybrid model in recent years, the office continues to be the preferred workspace for most young employees. It provides an environment where they can work efficiently, collaboratively, and creatively, while also offering excellent opportunities for professional development and career advancement. To attain their peak productivity, nearly 70% of Generation Z employees express the need for at least three days a week in the office, with 62% already working full time from the office, as revealed by a survey of 1,208 multi-generational respondents nationwide, conducted by Genesis Property.

The office space is more important to Gen Z than to Millennials, 56% of whom feel the need to work out of the office at least 3 days a week, Generation X being at 73%. Currently, 51% of Millennials and 65% of Generation X employees work daily in the office.

“The work and lifestyle dynamics of recent years have underscored the importance of working from the office, particularly for Gen Z individuals embarking on their professional journeys. For this generation, office experiences, team collaboration, and socializing play pivotal roles in career development and evolution, contributing to a healthy balance between work life and leisure. As a result, most wish to spend more and more time at the office. Creating a workspace that anticipates the future of work is imperative, incorporating ultra-modern and versatile spaces, as well as fostering relevant communities and experiences“, said Marcela Stancu, People Experience Director, Genesis Property.

With over half of the Romanian employees surveyed by Genesis Property already working fully from the office, 40% emphasize that this positively influences their work-life balance and enhances their relationships with colleagues. The primary motivations behind employees’ preference for working in the office as much as possible include spending time with the team (57%), engaging in face-to-face meetings with clients (28%), and gaining visibility to boost their chances of promotion (16%).

In addition, some 27% of employees of all generations say an ideal office environment should be hospitable and offer many amenities, 21% want creative workspaces that also give them access to the latest technology, and some 14% of respondents want residential work areas with an informal atmosphere that makes them feel like home.

Genesis Property anticipates the future of work and has thus created YUNITY Park, the first implementation of the innovative YUNITY real estate concept, which offers a wide range of spaces, facilities and experiences for employees. Today, in addition to state-of-the-art office spaces with high sustainability standards, the YUNITY Park campus stands out for its recently launched public space, which features a 1,000-square-meter urban forest, a 1,500-seat outdoor amphitheater, 2,000 meters of pedestrian walkways and tiered promenade, cascaded water mirrors and creative spaces for relaxation, meetings and events. Phase II of the project was completed last year with an investment of €20 million, and YUNITY Park has entered its final phase of development this year with a focus on people’s experiences.

The Genesis Property survey on Romanians’ opinion about returning to the office was carried in November-December 2023, at national level, through the iVox platform, on a total sample of 1,208 internet users in Romania. Some 49% of participants are female and over 47% have a net income of more than 4,000 lei.

About Genesis Property

Genesis Property, with over 20 years of experience in the Romanian real estate industry, is one of the leading owners, developers, and operators of Class A office buildings. It owns and manages YUNITY Park and West Gate Business District with over 150,000 sqm GLA of office space occupied by companies such as HP, Accenture, Ericsson, Garanti BBVA, Infineon, Luxoft, Yokogawa, Siemens and Alpha Bank, where over 15,000 employees work. Genesis Property also initiated the IMMUNE Building Standard™, a global standard that certifies the resilience of buildings to health threats such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Genesis Property is the developer of Romania’s first private student campus, West Gate Studios.