Presented by Steve Booker at the recent Tuckers / BIFM Event, hosted by Clifford Chance.

1. MILLENNIALS IN THE WORKPLACE
CONSTRUCTION GROUP CONSULTANCY

2. INTRODUCTION
‘How will the technical infrastructure of commercial buildings need to
develop to meet the needs of the millennium generation?’
In this section we look at the characteristics of the ‘Millennial’ worker
that will drive Workplace design over the short term future.

3. In order to understand how the workplace will need to adapt to meet
Millennial needs, we need to understand the Millennial.
So…who are they…
WHO?
WHAT?
HOW MANY?

4. BORN BETWEEN 1980 – 2000
FIRST GENERATION BORN INTO A DIGITAL WORLD
THEY LIVE IN AN IMMEDIATE, ONLINE CULTURE,
EMERSED IN CONNECTIVITY & SOCIAL MEDIA
THEY ARE CURIOUS; MILLENIALS LOOK TO UNDERSTAND
THE BIGGER PICTURE WHEN UNDERTAKING A TASK
MILLENIALS DEMAND A WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND
ENDORSE WELLNESS
WHO?

5. Ability to work
flexibility?Access to
Leadership?
Team Working & Variety
of Work Space ?
Engagement within
the work-family? Investment in
technology?
WHAT?
A Belief that
they can
achieve and
add value?

6. • There are 13.8 million Millennials in the UK.
• They currently comprise 35% of the UK workforce, and are set to represent 50% of the global workforce by 2020
HOW MANY?

7. HOW DOES THE WORLD AROUND US AFFECT THE
MILLENIAL WORKFORCE?
We know who they are; how do they think?
How does the millennial workforce view employment, in what way does this relate to the
context of the times we live in?

8. WE LIVE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES!
GLOBAL CONTEXT

9. UK CONTEXT
MILLENNIALS LIVE IN COSTLY TIMES!

10. A Deloitte SURVEY OF 2017 MILLENNIALS ACROSS THE
GLOBE INDICATES THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RECENT
SHIFT IN ATTITUDE, THE DESIRE FOR LONG TERM FIXED
EMPLOYMENT HAS INCREASED SINCE 2016
THE SURVEY ALSO DETERMINED THAT 7/10 MILLENIALS
IN ESTABLISHED MARKETS PREFER FULL TIME
EMPLOYMENT RATHER THAN FREELANCE OR
CONSULTANCY Source: The 2017 Deloitte Millennial Survey
How does the context of our times materially affect the Millennial Workforce…?

11. THE Deloitte SURVEY ILLUSTRATES THAT MILLENNIALS
DESIRE FLEXIBILITY
Source: The 2017 Deloitte Millennial Survey

12. Whilst we can determine that the average
Millennial desires job stability, they clearly want
to impose their own terms and enjoy a rich work
life balance

13. • An open-plan, agile & multi-functional Space
• The ability to work flexibly, in terms of hours
worked, location of work and in terms of the
role they undertake
• Access to technology and access to colleagues
and staff by means of technology
• Enjoyment of a Social work life, both within and
outside the office
From what we’ve learnt from the Millennials characteristics and their contextual
wish-lost, what can we expect that the Millennial will require from the workplace?

14. WORKPLACES MUST PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE WORK
SETTINGS, WHILST EMPLOYERS MUST PROVIDE
FLEXIBILTY IN JOB FUNCTION; MILLENIALS LOOK TO
ENAGE IN WORK TASKS THAT THEY ENJOY
WORKPLACES MUST ALLOW FOR CHANGE AND
DEVELOPMENT, THEY SHOULD NOT BE DESIGNED FOR A
POINT IN TIME
How does this apply to the ‘Millennial Workplace’…?

15. • LARGE MEETING 10 – 12 PERSON ROOMS REPLACED WITH SMALLER, TASK
DRIVEN SPACES
• CIRCULATION SPACE IS NOW BETTER UTILISED TO CONNECT STAFF,
PROVIDING WORKING & SOCIAL SPACES THROUGHOUT THE FLOOR PLATE
• BREAKROOM AREAS ARE BEING REPLACED WITH LARGER MULTI-
FUNCTIONAL SOCIAL HUBS
• SINGLE LARGE STANDARD GROUP SPACES ARE BEING REPLACED WITH
NUMEROUS PURPUSEFUL GROUP SETTINGS
• ASIGNED DESKS ARE BEING REPLACED WITH UNASIGNED WORKPOINTS
• VISUAL & ACOUSTICALLY PRIVATE WORK SUPPRT SETTINGS ARE
INCREASING
Workplace Design Drivers
A 2016 Herman Miller report, living office, highlighted 6 emerging trends in office
design:

16. How do we achieve a truly flexible space? What trends are there in the industry that will help
provide flexibility.
Obviously there are fixed items that cant be easily moved:
• Vending Points
• Comms Infrastructure
• Special Areas
• Client Meeting / Dining
• Auditorium
• Staff Canteen
• Gymnasia
However Furniture Manufacturers are developing flexible furniture and demountable ‘system’ or
‘modular’ furniture, which doesn’t form part of the built environment and can be relocated /
adapted if under-utilised.
Workplaces that can easily be formed using these furniture items are:
• Meeting Rooms (Formal & Informal)
• Quiet Task orientated rooms
• Touchdown Meeting Spaces
ACHIEVING FLEXIBILITY

17. ACHIEVING FLEXIBILITY
Visual
Privacy
Meeting
& Lay-
out
Work-
station
Informal
Meeting
Shared
Storage

18. ACHIEVING FLEXIBILITY
Group
Working
Hub
Task
Driven
Meeting
Acoustic
Panels

19. WE NEED TO BE DESIGNING WORKPLACES TO SUIT THE
MILLENNIALS NOW; MOST CORPORATE REAL ESTATE
LEASES LAST 10 – 15 YEARS, BY 2020 APPROX. CIRCA
50% OF USERS WILL BE MILLENNIALS SO THE MAJORITY
OF WORKERS USING A PROPERTY LEASED TODAY WILL
BE FROM THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION
THAT STILL LEAVES 50% OF BABY BOOMERS AND GEN X
WORKERS! DON’T FORGET THE OLDER GENERATIONS
THAT WILL STILL UTILISE BUILDINGS FOR SOME YEARS
TO COME
CONCLUSIONS

20. WITH FLEXIBLE (AND REMOTE) WORKING BEING
DESIRED BY MILLENNIALS, WE SHOULD BE DESIGNING
FLEXIBILTY IN BOTH THE WORKPLACE FIT-OUT, AND IN
LEASE AGREEMENTS WHERE AT ALL POSSIBLE
WORKPLACE DESIGN SHOULD EMPLOY FLEXIBLE
SERVICES AND ARCHITECTURAL SYSTEMS TO ALLOW
FOR MAXIMISING SPACE UTILISATION; LEASES SHOULD
BE STRUCTURED IN A WAY WHERE THEY TOO CAN BE
ALIGNED WITH THE BUSINESS MODEL OVER TIME
CONCLUSIONS

21. REGULAR FEEDBACK SHOULD BE COLLECTED ON SPACE
USE, WORK PATTERNS, AND WORKFORCE MEASURES
SUCH AS ENGAGEMENT, WELLNESS, AND EFFICIENCY,
KEEPING THE DESIGN ALIGNED WITH BUSINESS GOALS
FLEXIBILITY IN THE FIT-OUT OF AN OFFICE AND THE
SYSTEMS INSTALLED WILL ALLOW FOR CHURN AND
SPACE OPTIMISATION
CONCLUSIONS

22. THE WORKPLACE IS A MARKETING TOOL FOR
BUSINESS, IT CONVEYS BOTH THE BRAND AND
COMPANY ACHIEVEMENTS, MILLENNIALS LOOK AT THE
WORKPLACE AS PART OF THE BUSINESS MESSAGE,
‘WHO WE ARE’ AND ‘WHAT WE DO TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE’
IF A MILLENNIAL BELIEVES IN A BRAND THEY WILL STAY
LOYAL AND PROMOTE THE BUSINESS
TALKING POINT