Upskilling freshers in co-working spaces

Whether a start-up or a large-sized business, every enterprise knows the importance of fresher and their recruitment drive comprises a sizable part of fresh graduates from various streams spanning technology, finance and accounting, media communication, law, and much more. Various kinds of businesses from tech-enabled start-ups, product-based IT companies, and software development enterprises to professional advisories & consultancies to BFSI set-ups are aggressively hiring fresher as a part of their recruitment drive.

There are many benefits of hiring fresher as they can quickly unlearn and learn new things. They are highly motivated and show a great degree of commitment to work. Fresher are generally well aware of the latest technologies giving them an edge. Moreover, as the cost of hiring a fresher is lower, it also helps in optimizing the HR Budget.

Fresher require special attention

Although hiring a fresher has numerous benefits, they require special attention in terms of training and grooming. Extensive training has to be given to fresher to enable them to step up their game. Likewise, they need a tremendous amount of grooming and soft skill knowledge as they have not worked in an office set-up prior. Corporate communication, time management, interpersonal skills, work ethics are a few other dimensions wherein fresher would expect the organization to invest time and money. In a nutshell despite benefits, managing a fresher-based workforce requires a specific approach and treatment.

Upskilling new age fresher

While imparting technical skill sets has to be taken care by the individual organization, fresher can learn a lot about soft skills, work ethics, and other relevant professional acumen by working in a shared work space or a co-working space.

A shared space will enable fresh employee to expand their horizon and deepen their knowledge by interacting with numerous other employees cutting across various age groups, industry verticals, and departments. If done rightly, it can set the path for exponential learning and skill enhancement.

It won't let business acumen be restricted to just one industry type but to learn about multiple industries. For instance, someone hired by an insurance aggregator platform can now interact and network with employees working in other industry types as well such as e-commerce, cloud companies, fashion & apparel manufacturers, design and architecture firms and many others. This can multiply the overall learning and networking capabilities and help freshers get a holistic viewpoint from the beginning years. In contrast, in a regular office, the employee would have been exposed to just the insurance sector, which might inhibit overall growth.

During the early years of career, employees need to put in the extra hours as they have to learn a lot. The approach of co-working is more suitable, as it gives a 100 per cent flexible working environment, wherein one can work long hours without much fatigue. One can come and go as per their wish. There are also plenty of recreation facilities available which can help in recharging the mind and body by taking periodic breaks.

Another simple but profound aspect that makes co-working space highly suitable for fresher is the changing lifestyle. Over the past 2-3 decades the style of living has changed notably and the new generation has been subjected to thinking and approach to life wherein freedom, flexibility, creative collaboration, and meaningful networking has taken the centre stage.

Conventional office set-ups generally do not adhere to such an approach. Meanwhile, the new age shared spaces have been designed to integrate these youth-centric value systems. From their design to interiors to layout configuration, a strong emphasis is given to the needs and wants of today's youth.

(The author is the Partner, RPS Group)