Designing Effective Offices for Gen Z

Gen Z is frequently highlighted as the generation that will expect the workplace to evolve around them and take into account their fresh perspective on what it means to be in the office. While companies and designers have battled to figure out the perfect response to this, the timing of Gen Z entering the workplace couldn’t have been better.

There is currently an extended period of genuine transition that not only alters the way we work but it is also challenging the attitudes we hold about where we work. For generations before them, office attendance was largely assumed. For most, there was not much deviation from five days a week in the office at a fixed desk but this is not the expectation of Gen Z. With such heavy influences from increased remote collaboration within their education and schooling, the way this next generation of workers views the office is very different to the ones that came before.

This shift is happening and it is important to note that this change in mindset is not necessarily resistance as it is so frequently portrayed. Recent Gallup research shows that “only 23% of remote-capable Gen Z employees actually want to work fully remotely, with the majority preferring hybrid working instead.” This shows that the office is not the problem, more so how, and when, it is used.

When you start to look at purpose and styles of working, Gen Z are the ones that are looking for the pioneering solutions to help them be purposeful. This is where workplace design becomes critical because offices that are not designed to support the users will fail to draw people back to the office and keep them engaged.

What are the different generations?

To help distinguish between the different generations at work, it is important to understand the varying dates involved that define each generation. This is a quick overview of the generations currently in the workplace, as well as those soon to leave and next to join.

• Baby Boomers (1946–1964)
• Gen X (1965–1979)
• Millennials (1980–1994)
• Gen Z (1995–2012)
• Gen Alpha (2013 onwards)

Across each generation, there have been huge changes that shape the way they see the world, both from a work perspective but also more broadly. The influence of technology is perhaps one of the most important factors that has shaped these different generations and their attitudes towards the offices.

What does Gen Z look for in an office environment?

For Gen Z, coming into the office only makes sense if it enables better work than staying elsewhere. These are some of the more popular features that Gen Z workers look for in a working environment.

Technology

Technology plays a key role in this. If meeting spaces are awkward to use, collaboration tools are unreliable or connectivity is inconsistent, the office quickly feels like a barrier rather than a supportive space. The workplaces with seamless AV, intuitive booking systems and dependable digital infrastructure make it easier to be in the office and be effective while there.

The idea about smart offices is not to make them as high-tech as possible without a real reason behind it. They’re about removing friction and ensuring the physical environment keeps pace with how people already work digitally. This is ultimately what every worker needs and wants but it is largely driven by Gen Z workers needing specific elements at work to help them be more productive.

Social spaces

Gen Z values connection but the office is not somewhere to be social all day long. The shift towards hospitality and some of those more informal settings is definitely a positive step forward but it is important the office doesn’t lose its purpose as a place for work. Gen Z doesn’t want constant interaction with colleagues but when they need to collaborate the office needs to accommodate these face to face settings.

Features like cafés, lounges and shared workbenches are key elements within modern offices as they enable in-person work that wouldn’t happen as easily remotely. The office has an important role to play in mentoring and developing knowledge and these types of spaces help with that.

Personalisation and control

To help offset some of the social spaces that can be louder, Gen Z workers need access to quieter spaces to help keep the office balanced.

There is a requirement for enhanced personalisation and control of workspace and if/when workers need to step away for quieter working, for darker lighting or for a change in temperature, Gen Z expects the freedom to be able to control those things at work.

Personalisation doesn’t have to relate specifically to a fixed space only to be used for one person. It can be about offering multiple settings with reconfigurable furniture that can adapt for one user and then be reset for another. Retaining this level of customisation in the office is a great way to give more trust to Gen Z to adapt the workspace around them and the tasks they are doing.

Designing for Neurodiversity

Many offices remain overstimulating and in recent years there has been a more conscious shift towards designing offices that support neurodiverse workers. In reality, this applies to workers across all generations but has been most frequently linked to Gen Z. In part this is due to their openness and awareness of neurodiversity and how environments can impact people’s senses.

The term neurodiversity in relation to office design typically relates to things that impact the senses. This can be noise, lighting and the need for personal space. Neuroinclusive design responds by offering choice in an effort to make the office more comfortable and for individuals to stay productive. Quiet rooms, low-stimulation spaces, acoustic control and clear layouts are the types of features that are used in order to help people to regulate their experience. Importantly, these features don’t only support neurodivergent employees as they improve the working environment for everyone.

For companies looking to attract and retain top talent, including these spaces, or even showing awareness to these types of requirements, can be a big positive. It shows that a business is willing to understand that people work in different ways and in different conditions. Offices that don’t offer a variety of settings, with a variety of conditions, are ignoring the needs of the individual and that disengages Gen Z workers.

Designing offices to be intentional

The biggest change Gen Z brings to the workplace isn’t aesthetic. It’s a shift in mindset. There is no design feature or fad that you can put into an office to make it resonate with an entire generation. For Gen Z, the office needs to support collaboration, learning and connection in ways that justify them making the effort to come into the office.

For a long time, it has been positioned that Gen Z are lazy and they reject the office. In reality, they are challenging old ways of working and looking for modern solutions. If these concerns are listened to and integrated into workplaces, there is a huge amount to gain. Naturally not every suggestion is going to work for every company but workplaces that are designed around comfort, choice and balance are better equipped to support a multi-generational workforce.

We see the future office as a flexible environment that improves the relationship between people and their work. If you are looking for advice on how to design offices for Gen Z, get in touch today.