Take a look around the office and you may notice that you are now working with four generations under one roof. With Baby Boomers queuing in the exit lane, Generation Y (aka the Millennials) are set to make up 75% of the Australian workforce by 2025 while the oldest ones of Generation Z currently comprise about 15% of the Australian workforce. The pandemic gave us a window opportunity to rethink the future workspace, and a challenge to design an office space that meets the needs of the younger generation.
Both Generation Y and Z were raised in the era of technology evolution and both have gone through economic hardships (the Great Recession 2008 and the Coronavirus pandemic) in their own time. According to a study by Ernst & Young, the working demands of older Millennials are not consistent with younger Millennials (born 1989-96) and Gen Z (born 1997-2004). The younger generations have a stronger entrepreneurial spirit and prefer independent work to teamwork. They do not want a lot of guidance or micromanagement. Instead, they want autonomy to create new processes and solutions, and expect their value will be recognized and financial benefits will follow as a result.
Therefore, technology, individuality and flexibility are three key factors to consider when it comes to designing a modern workspace for the next generations.
- Technology
Unlike Millennials who saw the world go from dial-up to fast speed Wi-Fi, Gen Z grew up with technology ingrained in their lives. Adopting trending technology such as IoT and the metaverse will entice tech-savvy Gen Y and Gen Z who like to stay updated with cutting edge technology. A workstation with integrated charging and connect ports is also important to those who juggle multiple devices at the same time.
- Individuality
A collaboration zone is great for teamwork but for younger generations with a “do-it-myself” mentality and entrepreneurial quality, individual and private spaces are very important to them. This does not mean they don’t like being social. In fact, Gen Z finds the most effective way to communicate with coworkers and managers is face-to-face. Combining privacy pods and quiet zones in the open floor plan will give them the option to work together but also a spot to focus and work in solitude when needed.
- Flexibility
The younger generation places a big emphasis on work-life balance. They want the option to work remotely away from the office and flexible working hours. When they are in the office, they want a workspace that informs and delivers something around the quality of life. Make workspaces as pleasant as possible through a mix of resimercial and biophilic design to recreate an inviting and welcoming home-like environment.
The workforce transition from Baby Boomer and Gen X to Gen Y and Gen Z marks a critical turning point. At this important time when four generations work at the same place, we need to rethink and create a workplace design that will blend in with the requirements of various generations co-existing in an environment.