Office Design For The Millennial Generation

In a study conducted by business & finance magazine Forbes, they found that by 2025 three in every four workers will be Millennials. While in 2010 it was reported that more half the workforce was made up of Baby Boomers, Millennials are the generation that will become the focus of staff hiring over the coming years.

So how will this impact the workplace? Millennials are different to generations before, both in the way they think and the way they approach work. While not everyone exactly matches the definition of Millennial, they do tend to be typically more technology-competent, more progressive in their outlook, and have high expectations from their work. To them, work is not just a place you go, but an activity that you do.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can design your office to cater for the next generation of workers:

Foster collaboration with an open plan design

Open plan offices are becoming increasingly more and more popular, and for a good reason. They can help foster creativity in the workplace by allowing quick and easy communication between members of the team. If one member of the team comes up with an idea, an open plan environment means they can discuss it with their colleagues right off the bat and spark a conversion that could turn into something good.

Millennials are quite the talkative bunch, and an open plan office will only help them foster their ideas and will open up collaboration opportunities unseen in cubicle-based designs.

But also account for quiet areas

While open plan offices are fantastic for opening up communication routes, not all Millennials work best when surrounded by faces. We discussed in a previous blog post the benefits of designing an office that caters for both extroverts and introverts. While this principle can apply to any generation; Millennials expect more from their workplace and can work better when these needs are met.

As with most offices, creating quieter places where workers can go and get their heads down to get some work done is a wise decision. So don’t expect all your Millennial employees to be overly talkative; catering for both personality types could pay off.

Create fun & funky breakout zones

There’s a reason companies such as Google and Facebook have nap pods, Foosball tables and slides (and even a sweet shop!). It’s a fact that Millennials love fun workplaces.

Now we’re not saying you need to (or should) go out and start buying beer pong tables or DJ decks for your office to attract young talent. In this case, a little can go far. While offices should be relatively conservative in terms of distractions, the breakout zone is where the fun should come in.

Taking breaks is important for employee well-being, productivity and overall happiness, but Millennials demand more from their workplaces and break times are no exception. An original, funky design like pictured below can create a relaxing, hip atmosphere that may end up being a place of inspiration for your younger workforce as well as a place to catch-up on social media whilst eating their sandwiches.

Make it agile & inspirational

What we’ve discussed so far all falls under the practice of agile working (introduction blog post). Gradually, we are seeing the traditional cubicle-based office disappear, and the rise in Millennial workers has coincided with this. While previously thought to have only been utilised by large companies such as Google, Facebook and Unilever, agile working can actually make a big difference to many companies, especially as they start hiring younger talent.

What this all adds up to is a change in approach; Millennials want a more personal working experience and less of the same-old-same-old. Want to learn more? Use the form below to request a call back from our agile working consultant who can help guide your office design decisions based on your company’s goals and objectives.