As the U.S.’ largest generational cohort becomes the majority of the American workforce, architects and designers are working to answer a single question: What do millennials want?
The answer is more complicated than open and collaborative office spaces filled with bean bag chairs and hammocks. Millennials make up one-third of the modern workforce, but other generations are influencing the corporate environment. By 2020, four or five generations could be working in the same office. Instead of tailoring the office to millennial preferences, which are constantly evolving and often based on stereotypes, more architects are designing office space to support a multigenerational workforce.
A recent study from Pew Research found that three major generation types make up the U.S. workforce. Millennials account for 35% of the labor force, while Generation X, or those born roughly between 1965 and 1980, make up 33% of the working population. Baby boomers, who as recently as 1994 held 50% of the American workforce, now make up just 25%.
Over the last few years, researchers have noticed subtle differences between what these generational cohorts value in the workplace. Interior Architects reported that members of Gen X are motivated more by compensation than social good. For millennials, the reverse is true. The report also found that millennials enjoy mixing work and play more than other generations. While these generalizations do not describe every employee, they can help inform companies about how to design their office.
“Workplace innovation is not monopolized by millennials," BetterSpaces Solutions Developer Bukky Awosogba said. "When age diversity is taken into account, it is universally embraced."
BetterSpaces is a company using technology, including a mobile app and web portal, to develop workplace communities within buildings.
"What really makes office design human-centric is what goes on in the space and how people are able to connect to each other," Awosogba said. "We've noticed that programs and technology have the ability to activate space, form communities and seamlessly bridge the age gap. When a 48-year-old VP takes a seat next to a 23-year-old intern to meditate, it's clear that we all strive to be our best selves at work."