It comes as no surprise to hear that in today’s workplace, competition for the top talent is fierce. It’s simply not enough to offer a great salary and a competitive benefits package – employees are looking for more. And, as it becomes more and more of a challenge to recruit and then retain these talented employees, savvy organizations are getting creative in what they have to offer their employees – and they are turning to wokplace design as a new and unique solution.

And while this sounds like a great solution to a problem that you may be facing yourself, before you get started ask yourself this question: do you actually know what your employees want in the workplace? Thankfully, Leesman, an organization that specializes in collecting workplace data, has asked this very question to more than 250,000 respondents and analyzed their answers.

Let’s take a closer look at 5 of the most asked for office amenities.

A Functional Desk

While this may seem like a no brainer, hear us out. Technology has evolved throughout the years – so why shouldn’t your employees’ desks do the same? Sit/stand desks are incredibly popular, and are among the most requested types of desks today. As they continue to grow in popularity, these types of desks are becoming more cost-effective, making it an attainable and realistic goal for organizations looking to update and replace their current traditional desks.

A Comfortable Chair

It’s beginning to sound like employees aren’t asking for much, isn’t it? While this may sound like a frivolous request, it actually makes a lot of sense, given the amount of time that the average employee spends in chairs. It’s been proven that ergonomics can help to not only increase comfort and overall health, but also productivity. Think of investing in quality seating as investing directly in your employees.

Readily Available Refreshment Facilities

Whether your employees favor coffee, tea, or infused water, simply having refreshment facilities readily available can go a long way in helping to keep your employees happy. Believe it or not, an astounding 85 percent of employees surveyed asked for this particular amenity. And, with the number of options that are currently available, we’d say this one is a no brainer. A coffee bar or small cafe can be the perfect addition to any office space, and a great way for your employees to refuel and recharge throughout the day.

Small Meeting Spaces

With the growing trend in office spaces, it has become harder to find small, quiet spaces to conduct one-on-one meetings or to take important phone calls. With more employees connecting through task orientation, we’ve seen a rise in the demand for small rooms and concentration space. The function is the key when creating these types of spaces, and its important that you adapt to help keep your employees happy and productve.

Natural Light

It has been proven that natural light is of utmost importance to the overall health and well-being of everyone. But did you know that natural light can also help you to work more efficiently? The World Green Building Council backs this up with a study that proved that employees who work near sunlit windows demonstrated a production rate that was a full 15 percentage points higher. We think it’s a great sign that today’s employees are so tuned in to their well-being, and are taking note and requesting this feature in the workplace.