Rethinking the workplace with millennials in mind has been a hot topic in design circles for nearly a decade. But if you look closely, the rethink goes deeper than that. New studies show that while millennials may have been the catalyst for change in offices across the country, organizations are taking the opportunity to look at the wellbeing of all of their workers in order to design a workspace that is productive and uplifting. Susan S. Szenasy, our director of design innovation, sat down with a panel of design experts at the Haworth showroom in Dallas, Texas to learn more about the business case for wellbeing and how improving office design can limit employee turnover and improve performance. The panel included Dave Clark, director of workplace solutions at Capital One, Beck Johnson, global workplace research specialist at Haworth and David Lubin, associate principal at HKS. What follows is a transcript of that conversation, edited for clarity by Bailey McCann.
Susan S. Szenasy (SSS): Dave, let’s start with you. Can you tell us a little about your group at Capital One and what you see unfolding before you?
Dave Clark (DC): Sure, in my little sandbox up in Plano, we’ve got a number of generations in the workforce. So, our space is in continual evolution. The oldest buildings on our campus are roughly nine years old. What Capital One has embraced is a rapid churn type of scenario where literally, nothing in that original building is still there. All the furniture, fixtures, furniture, lighting, the carpets, finishes, everything continually evolves over time and we don’t do it willy-nilly. We want to build and leverage a culture and that also evolves over time as new generations come into the workforce. For example, we opened a new building in March that has a 32-foot slide. We have bikes that you can ride around the campus. When you’re looking to attract millennials you want to make it fun to work here.
SSS: What made you decide to include those elements in the space?
Capital Brands Los Angeles. © Benny Chan at Fotoworks
DC: It’s about providing a variety of different environments for the associates to work in. So, whether you want to work indoors or outdoors, or maybe you want just a little mental relief. It’s hard to have a bad time going down a double helix slide, I’m just telling you.
SSS: David, let’s turn to you. From the interior design perspective, what are you seeing among your clients? What are some of the most interesting things that they’re trying to do?
David Lubin (DL): Each client is different, so I would say that there is not a one size fits all. We were talking earlier about how good design equals good business. That’s true, but I think in a lot of ways, the design aspect has exploded. It’s not just about space – it’s an experience. We’re talking about how to address not only how people sit and work and collaborate, but how they actually mentally get through the day.