As millennials and the following generations begin to fill the bulk of corporate positions, their expectations for the workplace are high. Think shuffleboard and pinball, open spaces and natural light and just enough quiet space to make sure everything gets done.
“In terms of Class-A office space, you are going to have to tailor the design to the tastes of the core workforce,” said University of Washington Foster School of Business senior lecturer Tracey Seslen, who will be one of the panelists speaking at the Bisnow Seattle Office 2018 event July 24.
Seslen has expertise in economics and real estate. As she travels around the world, she pays close attention to office trends.
For example, Google has offices all over the world and each has a lot of innovation and collaboration space, she said.
"But sometimes you just need a quiet place to work, so there are also a lot of quiet spaces."
The sharing economy of flexible work areas is another millennial trend that is catching on in office space.
Fewer people spend all day working in an office, but most people need to have a home base, Seslen said. Enter office-sharing spaces like Atlas and WeWork. “It’s like Uber and Uber Pool,” Seslen said. “In this shared economy, everyone has their own hustle and a lot of times they just need a place to use when they need it. Some companies are even paying for their employees’ memberships. It gives them a place other than a coffee shop where they can get things done."