Supporting an Aging Workforce
Date Posted: March 5, 2019
Posted In: Discussion, Workforce,
From Architect Magazine: According to a 2017 Gallup survey, nearly three-quarters of employed U.S. adults plan to work past the average retirement age of 66 years old. Given this trend, architecture firms are taking measures to support their more seasoned employees’ well-being and performance. Here, design practitioners, a human resources director, and a research psychologist offer advice for empowering this generation of workers.
Create Ergonomic, Active Workplaces
For Richard Marietta, AIA, senior principal at Baltimore-based Design Collective, his firm’s competitiveness in the Mid-Atlantic region along with its commitment to sustainability initiatives have motivated him to stay on. (The 71-year-old plans to retire this year.) But passion isn’t the only thing that has kept him engaged in his later years. Ergonomic chairs and adjustable-height desks that accommodate sitting or standing have made his office a comfortable place to spend eight—or more—hours a day.
When he feels stressed or has a headache, a low-lit, private wellness room offers refuge. “If you have an issue that would [otherwise] prevent the continuation of the workday, there’s a space where you can go and still get your work done,” Marietta says.
SmithGroup recently transitioned its Chicago, Los Angeles, and Madison, Wis., offices to agile work environments, with plans to convert its San Francisco and Detroit offices next, says principal and corporate communications director Dave Whitman. With no assigned seats, multigenerational teams can choose to sit together depending on the task. “It makes it much easier and more natural to collaborate when you don’t have to get up and walk down the hall,” Whitman says.
Bridge the Generational Gap
A 2018 survey from Canada Life Group Insurance shows around one-third of younger employees are concerned that the continued employment of older workers makes it more difficult for them to earn promotions, and that these more senior designers might require training to remain competitive in the 21st century workplace. “I wouldn’t absolve us of that as an architecture firm,” says Ed Dodge, vice president and director of human resources at SmithGroup. “I think where tension exists with Millennials and Baby Boomers is a pay-your-dues mentality versus an immediate gratification mentality.”