The office of the future is most commonly seen as the habitat of Millennials. But there are all sorts of flaws in this assumption. Apart from the casual stereotyping of a diverse demographic of people, the most glaring is the fact that the workforce is ageing rather than getting younger, and that most offices must now meet the needs of a wider range of age groups than at any time in their history. A new report from Totaljobs seeks to redress the balance in this regard. It suggests that some of the key features of the office of the future will not be slides and ping pong tables but flexible working areas, quiet spaces, spas and private medical rooms. The study claims that the fixation with Millennials means that a large number of older workers now feel that the design of offices does not meet their needs.
The study claims that over a third (35 percent) of workers aged over 45 feel that employers’ provisions for people their age are ‘non-existent’, and almost half believe that workplaces ‘naturally cater towards younger employees’. The research involved interviews with over 2,000 working people over 45. The most pressing concerns identified in the study were health issues (30 percent), being out of touch with technology (27 percent) and being unable to learn new things as quickly (24 percent).