Want to Attract Top Talent? Focus on the Employee Experience

Capital One West Creek. Image © Halkin Mason.

The function and purpose of the physical corporate workspace is evolving. Technology has made ‘where’ we work irrelevant in many cases. The workplace of the future is more about ‘how’ we work, bringing people together to collaborate, innovate, learn and socialize. It’s about communicating, nurturing and supporting a company’s culture and mission. Couple that institutional evolution with an increase in worker expectations, their desire to contribute and engage in a meaningful enterprise and the emerging generational appetite for advancement through more frequent changes and you’ll quickly realize that the business of design is no longer ‘business as usual.’ To compete with top talent, Financial Services Firms must place a greater emphasis on the employee experience.

Click to read more ...

Financial Services Firms: Think "Glocal"

Confidential Technology Client San Francisco, Calif., Image © Gensler

Editor's Note: This post is part of a series on the state of the financial services industry.

You have most likely heard the mantra “think global, act local.” Over the years it has been used in various contexts from education to the environment to urge people to consider the health of the planet and to take action in their own communities. Today however, the catchphrase has taken on a much broader meaning because global and local are no longer two diverse ends of a spectrum. We are now asked to be “glocal,” both global and local at the same time. Though many major financial service firms may have their headquarters in the United States, they now have offices, clients and employees in financial markets around the world. Even firms with well-established brands are learning that they need to tailor their workplace designs for these specific markets.

Click to read more ...

The Evolution of the Workplace in China’s Financial Services Sector

Flexibility and transparency characterize the new office of Real Power Capital at the Evergo Tower in Shanghai. Image © Gensler

Editor's Note: This post is part of a series on the state of the financial services industry.

In today’s volatile global economy, China's financial services companies are facing a number of challenges. China's market reforms in the financial sector have put forward higher requirements for financial services firms to innovate their service and product offerings. As Chinese financial services firms must become more agile and resilient to adapt to the fast-changing market, they have recognized the need to create more effective and efficient working environments.

Click to read more ...

How Financial Services Can Recruit the Hottest Tech Talent

Tech talent require a workplace that's transparent, open and collaborative. Confidential Financial Firm, Image © Gensler

Editor's Note: This post is part of a series on the state of the financial services industry.

As financial service firms evolve and compete in today’s global, digital market, the investment in technology talent has become increasingly important. Technology has become a more significant cost percentage of the business, as well as a growing segment of the financial service population. These tech workers are not just IT professionals, they’re digital innovators developing strategies and tools, creative entrepreneurs building mobile platforms, and social media and brand strategists. In other words, they are the hottest talent to recruit in any industry.

Click to read more ...

Post-Brexit: Will Financial Services Firms Leave London?

London’s financial districts provide London’s financial services firms with an ecosystem like no other, but could this now be under threat?

Editor's Note: This post is part of a series on the state of the financial services industry.

Over the weekend it was widely reported that Brexit could mean the end of the city’s financial district as we know it. Whispers by top industry representatives even warned that banks could start leaving London before Christmas as the industry struggles to adjust to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit more than any other sector of the economy, both in the degree of its effect and implications. London has long been seen as the epicentre of the financial market in Europe. But rising real estate costs have led companies to move outside the Capital. With the recent Brexit vote causing many firms to have their hands ‘quivering over the relocate button’, is it likely that this spread will continue to secondary cities like Birmingham? Or will companies establish a stronger presence in Mainland Europe?

Click to read more ...