Discovering the unexpected is typically a joy in research—as well as one of the reasons to conduct research in the first place. But the discovery of unexpected insights can also be puzzling, as it forces researchers to confront surprising circumstances and theorize explanations for findings they never anticipated.

That was certainly the case with Gensler’s 2016 U.S. Workplace Survey. When we first launched the survey, we expected choice—a person’s ability to choose where they work—to be on the rise. Our 2013 U.S. Workplace Survey had found that one in three respondents had choice at their places of employment. This made sense, considering the proliferation of mobile technology that has made working at Starbucks or from home or from a conference room as straightforward and doable as working at the same desk every single day. Technology gives us the power to check emails from home in the middle of the night and to collaborate in real time with colleagues all around world. And because choice empowers a person to work in whatever style they find most conducive to success, we expected our 2016 survey to show that more organizations are offering choice to their employees.

Via gensleron.com

Four years ago, Chris Nagele did what many other technology executives have done before — he moved his team into an open concept office.

His staff had been exclusively working from home, but he wanted everyone to be together, to bond and collaborate more easily. It quickly became clear, though, that Nagele had made a huge mistake. Everyone was distracted, productivity suffered and the nine employees were unhappy, not to mention Nagele himself.

In April 2015, about three years after moving into the open office, Nagele moved the company into a 10,000-square foot office where everyone now has their own space — complete with closing doors.

Via bbc.com

Together, Millennials and today’s technology are reshaping and humanizing tomorrow’s world of work.

With 10,000-12,000 Baby Boomers retiring daily, workforce demographics are rapidly changing. By 2025, Millennials will represent 75 percent of the workforce. While it’s counter-intuitive, there’s a craving for human-friendly spaces amidst the digitization of work and unprecedented advances in workplace technology—and the demands are coming largely from Millennials. The following are five tech-driven trends illustrating how organizations are upping their workplace game to win the war for talent.

Via cre.stif.re

Improvisation and collaboration may not be the first imperatives that come to mind when thinking about the corporate world. But as digital disruption accelerates, rendering old ways of doing things obsolete, more and more corporate leaders are seeking creative ideas to solve new problems. Whether in media or design or industrial machinery, the need to foster and harness the creativity of individuals working in teams has never been more urgent.

The problem, however, is that large, complex, multinational organizations are often much better at stifling creativity than fostering it. That’s why it’s so important to heed Darwin and learn to be creative and improvise effectively.

The best place for your business to enact his advice — to create and “make tomorrow” — is in a sandbox. Think about it. Sandboxes are venues that bring together all kinds of kids in an open but finite space that encourages exploration and interaction with little threat of harm.

Via strategy-business.com

Millennials. Gen Y. Echo Boomers. Regardless of the name, this generation is unquestionably an influential cohort—particularly in our industry, where generational differences are often a driver of workplace design. As the biggest generation in the U.S. workforce, much has been made of how to design workplaces that attract, inspire, and enhance the productivity of Millennials. But there may be a better demographic filter.

Meet the Perennials, which Fast Company recently defined as the “ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who live in the present time, know what’s happening in the world, stay current with technology, and have friends of all ages. [They] comprise an inclusive, enduring mind-set, not a divisive demographic.”

The concept of Perennials better reflects our reality online and off.  Amazon and Netflix get it right with recommendation engines that target people based on behavioral data over outmoded generational stereotypes. How do we replicate this strategy in the workplace? Here are a few considerations. 

Via perkinswill.com

In an age in which ideas and knowledge drive the economy, people are the chief currency of every business. With up to 80% of a company's expenses coming from human resources, it is vital that the workforce be engaged and empowered to enable productivity. Yet according to the latest edition of Gallup's annual engagement survey,[1] only 32% of the U.S. workforce is engaged, with 50.8% not engaged and 17.2% actively disengaged.  

Via shrm.org