June 2016 — Office Properties Quarterly —
Page 13
H
ere come the work-
place millennials,
raised during tech-
nology booms, they
are a tech-savvy
generation. With experienc-
es of 9/11, the Great Reces-
sion and natural disasters,
they grew up not trusting
the traditional systems and
now want to be associated
with causes of value. As a
result, millennials cling to
social groups, and they work
collaboratively when and
where they wish. Their pref-
erence is to be unconfined
and mobile. Their require-
ments to be satisfied are
different from preceding
generations.
Millennials are projected
to make up 75 percent of the
workforce by 2025, and they
made up 34 percent of the
workforce last year. Accord-
ing to a Gallup Poll, many
millennials say they are
dissatisfied with their work
environments, and said they
would prefer to accept lower
wages in exchange for being
happy at work.
As unemployment is pro-
jected to drop to under 5
percent in 2016, businesses
are experiencing an urgency
to hire and retain millenni-
als. They are looking to the
built environment for solu-
tions. Businesses are trying
to bring in the same “tribe”
lifestyle at work that millen-
nials seem to crave in their
social lives, and embrace
technology that must work
and be connected around
the clock. Following is a
translation of the millennial
built environment.
Encourage collaboration and
fun.
Use of open planning
with pod work areas that are
wired to promote immediate
collaboration reduces time,
eliminates waste and moves
business faster. Central
meeting rooms that are col-
orful and connected should
be in core areas with mov-
able walls for replanning.
Creative play such as ping-
pong, pool, and darts are
popular.
Bring in
the outdoors
and use
green con-
struction.
As
an exam-
ple, Google
incor-
porates
“green
walls” with
live plants.
Millenni-
als use less
on-site parking, so maximize
motorized transportation
through carpooling and light
rail. As a result, offices may
find they have a larger need
for bike stalls, lockers, show-
ers and electric auto char-
gers. Maximize natural light
through tall windows and
strategically placed signa-
ture pieces that act to reflect
light. Make it as green and
clean (air) as possible.
Provide greater mobility,
connectivity.
Provide connec-
tivity by allowing 24-hour
access. Systems should sup-
port team communication
through impromptu meet-
ings and video conferencing
and cloud-based applica-
tions. Google has tackled the
mobility challenge by allow-
ing work from home two to
three days per week.
Embrace amenities.
If you
aren’t Google, Apple or
Microsoft and, therefore,
don’t have cafeterias with
gourmet made-to-order
menus, make sure that cer-
tain healthy, gourmet-style
foods can be ordered online
and are nearby. Also, it is
wise to provide fun on-site
snacks and beverages, and a
workout area is a bonus.
Productivity
Now that millennials have
what they want, this should
be a slam-dunk, right? Not
so fast. As millennials push
for more open space, many
wonder if productivity
diminishes.
While there have been
great advances for collabo-
ration in new technologies
including videoconferencing
for open-space work envi-
ronments, the answer still
is yes. Open environments
seem to be exacerbating
employee productivity chal-
lenges by limiting private
conversations, normal con-
versation levels and concen-
tration, said Joey D’Angelo,
open-space planner special-
ist and vice president of
Charles M. Salter Inc., in a
Sound and Communications
article.
A productivity test on
a group of 600 program-
mers from different work
environments, companies,
experience and pay showed,
among other things, the
highest productivity did not
reside with the highest paid
or the most experienced.
Interestingly, the test report-
ed that employees who
could control interruptions
in quieter environments
were the most productive.
Millennials are the most
educated of our generations,
however, employers struggle
with how to engage them.
High-tech spaces with user-
friendly, cloud-based appli-
cations are here to stay. But,
as many businesses apply
considerable resources in
open-planned environments,
the opposite desired out-
come can result – reduced
productivity.
The solution? It is time
for the pendulum to swing
back to a balance between
collaborative and quiet work
environments. In the speed
to find a solution, perhaps
the design phase has been
limited.
The built environment is
called to collaborate with
technology and business
units at the earliest planning
stages. Implementing inte-
grated project delivery meth-
ods with focus on design
may just lead to the accept-
able millennial environment
that remembers and suc-
cessfully incorporates busi-
ness intent: productivity!
s
Teresa Gibbs
Student, University
of Denver,
Lone Tree
Market Trends
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