Blog
How Do You Satisfy the 5 Generations Within the Workplace?
19 July 2022 | by Jana Jassova
2
MIN
For the first time in history, companies are currently facing five different generations in the workplace: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. It has been suggested that having a number of generations with different motivators and expectations can bring many organizational and managerial challenges. Whilst the companies should be diverse and consider all of the five generations in the workplace, many sources put emphasis on Millennials and Generation Z due to the fact that they account for the majority of the global workforce.
Millennials’ preferences when it comes to communication can significantly differ from older generations, due to their impatience, which is a result of their exposure to social media or instant access to information. They want to be kept informed and constantly up to date with everything that is going on. When designing workplaces, companies should bear this in mind and create spaces where colleagues can share their information effectively – be it great technology, open plan areas, or spaces designed specifically for socializing.
When it comes to Millennials’ career expectations, research suggests that this generation sees their career more like a “scramble net” meaning they don’t want to just climb the ladder upwards but are happy to go sideways as long as they are learning something new along the way. Therefore, when it comes to designing a workplace, employers should focus on how this generation can be exposed to all areas of the business so they can absorb as much new information as possible.
Hotdesking, which is becoming very popular these days allows millennials to spend time with different departments and learn effectively about other parts of the business. Open plan office design is also something that not just allows effective sharing of information but also improves collaboration and creativity. In truth we need to create the classic ‘water-cooler‘ moment across the whole office floorplate – encouraging that natural collision of different teams and generations to help enhance creativity and fresh thinking.
However, as with any generation, millennials are also not all the same and other aspects such as individual personality traits should be considered. Whilst those more extroverted would be more than happy to work in an open-plan office, those who are more introverted might prefer quieter areas such as pods or focus areas.
At Claremont we aim to create amenity-rich, diverse and inclusive workplaces allowing all five generations to find their space within the Destination Office.
Related thinking
Take a look at our whitepaper on the Pursuit for Talent to help understand how the workplace can support attraction and retention across the generational mix.
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