Millennials Creating Shift in Workplace Design: Experts
Date Posted: June 5, 2017
Posted In: Ideas,
From St. Louis Business Journal: Millennials are the largest generation in American history with 92 million people, compared to the 77 million baby boomers, according to Goldman Sachs.
Millennials, defined as those born 1980 to 2000, also are the first generation to grow up in a world dominated by tech, and that’s shaped how they live and work, experts say. A 2011 PwC report found that millennials value flexibility in how and where they work and integration of tech most.
“We have clients who can run their numbers and realize that they’re about to lose a huge chunk of baby boomers. So they’re really focusing on where they need to position themselves,” said HOK Director of Interiors Margaret McDonald, adding that millennial spaces are part of every conversation HOK has with clients. “The big shift we’re seeing is … attracting and retaining people in the workspace — what’s going to bring them in versus what brings them to Starbucks or stays at home. How do you support things that support culture, community and they’re interactive and interesting.”
That can include incorporating corporality, or hotel- or homelike furnishings, integrating tech with office surroundings, and adding wellbeing centers or gyms that encourage camaraderie and fitness.