What does each generation want from the office?

To appeal to as many people as possible on a multigenerational team, make the office flexible. Outfit it with adjustable furniture solutions. Portable partitions and meeting booths. Sit-to-stand desks with freestanding privacy screens. Furniture that allows employees to modify their work environment intuitively

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Generations in the workplace – tl;dr

• Traditionalists want simple, old-school tools like whiteboards for collaboration and easy-to-use monitors for content streaming. They also want private meeting spaces, as they’re accustomed to conducting business in person.

• Since they came from the days of cubicles, baby boomers want privacy, foremost — solutions that give them isolation and more personal space. Phone booths are a keen option for the group, which holds frequent calls with clients, partners, and peers.

• The independent “latchkey generation” (Gen X) wants workspaces for independent focus.

• Millennials favor the resimercial look and seek a connection to nature. Cozy furniture, natural light, and greenery appeal to them.

• Gen Z wants a layout that’s transparent and open, not siloed. They also want the principles of ESG met — sustainability, inclusivity.

Traditionalists. The “silent generation.” Born between 1925-1945.

Today’s oldest members of the workforce, representing just 3% of it. Named for their honor of tradition, traditionalists often wish to work within the system, not change it. Delaying retirement, that 3% bridge the knowledge gap, lending wisdom and context young workers lack.

Traditionalists are the most loyal generation.

Many have stayed with one employer their entire career, filling upper management roles. Thus, they hold frequent meetings, making quality meeting spaces like hushMeet a helpful amenity for the group.

Traditionalists like to do things the old-school way.

They see much new tech as newfangled and unnecessarily complicated. They favor simple rolling whiteboards over anything electronic or “connected.” See hushWall for a worthy model of simplicity.

They much prefer face-to-face communication to hybrid conversations.

Especially for business meetings, as traditionalists have conducted business almost exclusively in person.

So to satisfy the traditionalists on your team, keep it simple.

It’s imperative the office features plenty of private meeting spaces for simple face-to-face discussions. Basic collaborative tools like monitors for quick content casting and whiteboards for quick brainstorms are solid considerations, too.

Baby boomers. Born between 1945 and 1964.

Another unique crew. Pew Research has actually called baby boomers the “gloomiest generation” as they are the most likely group to worry about income keeping up with inflation. This pressure is likely because of their commitment to family — wanting to create a happy life for their own.

Baby boomers are hardworking, competitive, goal-centric employees.

They were raised on the dream of a good life — a family and a house — and taught that hard work could make it happen. Hence their characteristic work style of pressing on through challenges.

Baby boomers came from cubicles, so office privacy is essential to them.

Fuss-free privacy solutions like movable marker board dividers and private office pods please the baby boomer employee best. Any product which affords more personal space.

Office phone booths are a smart furniture solution for baby boomers.

Members of this generation often hold managerial/leadership roles, entailing frequent calls with clients, partners, and peers. A booth like hushPhone is a fine choice, as it’s acoustic, with total speech privacy and perfect quietness.

Open floors are unpredictable. Call booths like hushPhone aren’t. They’re a workspace you can depend on. They give baby boomer employees the stable environment needed for rock-solid calls regardless of the floor’s theatrics. Nurture a prospect to conversion… Walk a new teammate through hurdles attentively… Whatever the end goal, hushPhone enhances the communication that realizes it

– offers Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Gen X. The “latchkey generation.” Born between 1965-1980.

Many Gen Xers grew up with little parental supervision, giving them a predilection for independence. They’re resourceful and results-oriented. And they joined the workforce before technology allowed for the concept of being “on” 24/7, so work-life balance is one of their priorities.

Being a distinctly independent group, Gen X enjoys working solo in the office.

So individual work pods like hushHybrid work well for the cohort, shutting out distractions, shutting the Gen Xer into a natural bubble of independent focus.

Millennials, or “Gen Y.” Born between 1981-1995.

Millennials are tech-natives best motivated by a sense of purpose. They’re the largest of all generations in the workforce and the most likely to leave if unsatisfied, making them an important group to understand.

Research shows millennials are actually the least engaged generation.

We’ve covered ways to win them over, which include keeping their eye on the mission, meeting with them regularly one-on-one, and focusing on their well-being first (not productivity). What do they want out of the office, specifically?

Millennials favor the resimercial look, preferring a homey work environment.

Check out our article about kawaii style for some inspiration on this 🙂

To bolster the millennial’s well-being, make the biophilic connection strong, too.

Let nature heal. Make WiFi strong in outdoor workspaces. Bring more light inside. Plants, too. Retrofitting shared hotspots like cafes and breakout spaces will also delight them, as millennials value the office highly for its social aspects, seeing socialization as core to wellness.

Gen Z. Born between 1995-2010.

Gen Z is the youngest group in the workforce. They’re an assertive bunch; while older generations may only be asking for it, Gen Z expects certain perks like hybrid work flexibility. Similarly, while traditionalists and baby boomers are unlikely to challenge authority, Gen Z challenges everything.

Perhaps surprisingly, Gen Zers missed the office the most during the pandemic out of all generations. They yearned for the socialization it provides. Togetherness. Mentorship. So pods like hushMeet are an apt workspace solution for the group since pods facilitate undivided attention that the generation craves — guidance and assurance from older employees will help them find their footing in our uncertain world

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Shown to be the most stressed-out generation, Gen Z demands mental health support.

What that looks like for your office will be unique. Perhaps it’s patio workspaces for frequent fresh air or vertical green walls for improved air quality or extra mental health days for just in case or cozy, enclosed armchairs for brief moments of pause.

As a rule, Gen Zers will only take up employment with companies that take well-being seriously. Privacy is a chief concern — especially on open floor layouts — since a lack of privacy fractures focus, inhibiting productivity, creating angst in anyone remotely sensitive to their environment. So to fulfill Gen Z’s need to feel secure in their workplace, consider pods like those in our Hushoffice collection. They’re quiet, enclosed, comfortable, and equipped with all the features needed to zero in

– lends Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Most Gen Zers want a layout that says transparency and team, not siloed hierarchy.

Include open benching and a number of casual, communal spaces like lounges in the floor plate for Gen Z. Modular furniture is ideal, as it’s adaptable to the moment’s need — and needs are, of course, always changing in our hybrid world.

Read more: What does Gen Z want out of the office?

ESG is Gen Z’s language.

They are drawn to office spaces that are sustainable and inclusive. If you’re looking into pods, booths, or cabins, be sure to include a product that’s wheelchair-accessible, like hushAccess.L. Minor considerations make the difference between inclusivity and inaccessibility.

Flexible office furniture helps please all generations in the workplace.

Go to the pod right for the task. Tweak its lights for everyone’s comfort. Roll the whiteboard to the office area voted most apt. Flexibility gives you options — control. It makes communication and collaboration across a mixed bunch much more fluid, letting many generations work as one.

Need ideas? Check out the Hushoffice collection of mobile meeting cabins, phone booths, work pods, and other flexible furniture for hybrid working.

Generations in the workplace – tl;dr

• Traditionalists want simple, old-school tools like whiteboards for collaboration and easy-to-use monitors for content streaming. They also want private meeting spaces, as they’re accustomed to conducting business in person.

• Since they came from the days of cubicles, baby boomers want privacy, foremost — solutions that give them isolation and more personal space. Phone booths are a keen option for the group, which holds frequent calls with clients, partners, and peers.

• The independent “latchkey generation” (Gen X) wants workspaces for independent focus.

• Millennials favor the resimercial look and seek a connection to nature. Cozy lounge furniture, natural light, and greenery appeal to them.

• Gen Z wants a layout that’s transparent and open, not siloed. They also want the principles of ESG met — sustainability, inclusivity.

Generations in the workplace – frequently asked questions

What do traditionalists want out of the office?

Traditionalists want fuss-free collaborative tools like free standing dry erase boards and easy-to-use content-casting monitors. They also want private meeting spaces like hushMeet, as they’re accustomed to conducting business in person.

What do baby boomers want out of the office?

Baby boomers want privacy. They came from the era of cubicles, so losing privacy to the open plan concept was a big deal for the group. Privacy solutions, from independent pods to sound-dampening screens, will help. Since baby boomers hold important calls with clients, partners, and peers on the regular, phone booths are an apt pod to look into. See hushPhone, which offers professional speech privacy and pleasant quietness.

What does Gen X want out of the office?

Many Gen Xers had little parental supervision growing up, making them happy to work alone much of the time. If your office occasionally gets too rowdy for focus, consider work booths like hushHybrid. They facilitate the solitude and heads-down concentration that your Gen X teammates are so natural at.