Ideas for Creating the Ideal Design for Millennials' Workplace

This generation has dared to rethink how office space should be distributed. The conventional cubicle promoting isolation isn’t necessarily a solution Millennials will gravitate towards. Nowadays, the idea of a Millennial’s workplace filled with uncomfortable bean bag chairs has also been debunked. 

Workers are now looking for comfortable solutions to be productive at work for long hours. The workplace today should also promote a sense of freedom and creativity. Many of these concepts are incredibly abstract and hard to truly deliver on. 

There’s no one element of design or an office chair meant to fit every type of worker. Since this is the case, this piece will explore multiple solutions that can be combined to create some of the best workplaces for Millennials. These ideas aim to provide a more comfortable workplace to help workers be more productive and at ease at work.   

Understanding Millennial Work Preferences

What keeps Millennials engaged in the workplace? According to some of the most recent studies, Millennials’ work culture values the ability to work at a place that shares some of their core beliefs. Another important thing Millennials will value is being given an actual purpose in their job. 

When Millennial workers are in an environment that aligns with their beliefs in these two aspects, they are more likely to stick around longer. How does the type of physical office space where the work is being done affect these two elements? The sense of purpose or direction aspect is hard to grasp sitting in a cramped cubicle with a small chair looking at gray walls.

Buy an ergonomic chair for the employees to ensure they don’t feel uncomfortable at their desks. When someone is comfortable in the habitual working position, they’ll likely put in more work. Ensuring employees have no sense of physical discomfort can go a long way toward increasing production. 

The preferences for Millennial office spaces have shifted towards a sense of comfort and an understanding that certain elements are better for their health in the long term. There’s no question that this is perhaps the most health-conscious generation ever. Since Millennials at work are moving into their 30s and 40s, bean bag chairs won’t be as friendly on their backs. 

These preferences won’t necessarily mean that Millennials will stop working at a place because it was furnished with discount desks. There are good desks that could be obtained at a lower rate. It means Millennials will be more inclined to stick with a company that tries to improve working conditions.

Office Design Ideas for Millennial-Friendly Workspaces

What needs to be included in modern workplaces to ensure that they are Millennial-friendly? The first thing that comes to mind is a place with plenty of natural light. It would be preferred if the workplace could be a larger space where all of their workers can have their own corner standing desk. 

Office space isn’t necessarily getting cheaper, so one of the best ways to ensure workers are more at ease is to have more natural light and help people perceive the place as more spacious. To do that, painting the walls white or lighter colors is a good idea. Adding plants in vibrant colors wherever possible is another element that’s grown to be well-liked. 

Looking for all things ergonomic is a good idea regarding the bulk office furniture needed to set up the office. Buying an office ergonomic chair will quickly prove that the company cares about its employees. Plus, workers will be able to feel more comfortable when sitting at their desks. 

Speaking of desks, Millennials tend to love sit-stand desk options. This gives them more freedom to unwind when they feel they’ve been sitting down too long. The company can benefit from this because they can unwind without leaving their workplace. 

Another element that can make the workplace a much friendlier spot has to do with the floors. Old carpet traps more dust particles and is harder to clean. It can also start to smell funny over time. Going with a version of hardwood floors could benefit the look and feel of the place.

What’s the Most Important Element in a Millennial-friendly Workplace?

The vibe and culture of the workplace will generally be the most essential element to ensure that a workplace is Millennial-friendly. What a lot of companies have struggled with in recent years is creating a genuine culture. Many places want to portray themselves as a super friendly workplace, but in reality, the environment is rather toxic.

Most employees, Millennials or otherwise, will figure things out quickly. With this in mind, hiring the right people is the most important element in creating a friendly workspace. This doesn’t mean that creating a better workspace is not essential. 

Understanding how to use the available space with quality office furniture can go a long way toward setting up a more harmonious office. Does the boss truly need a massive traditional type of office desk in a small office? With some smart desk options available today, those larger old-school desks are uncomfortable anyway. 

The same thing can be true about the oversized leather office chair meant to show power and importance. It’s not that Millennials are turned off by some of these traditional shows of dominance that have been prevalent in the workplace. Buying smaller wholesale office chairs, particularly ergonomic ones, just makes more sense to them. 

One of the biggest knocks on Millennials as a generation is this sense that they lack respect for authority. While there are undoubtedly individual cases where this statement can be true, unnecessary shows of authority may even be more off-putting to this generation. Showing a willingness to even the playing field in the office furniture department can be a good omen for Millennials.

Where to Purchase Office Furniture Can Create the Right Workplace a Breeze?

One of the biggest challenges in creating Millennials’ ideal workplace is that office furniture is typically not a super necessary investment. It’s not that the furniture itself is not necessary. There’s just this sense that buying the best ergonomic chair is too expensive. 

That can change drastically when knowing where to purchase wholesale office chairs that have ergonomic features. Not all places that sell bulk office furniture are going to be selling cheap items. Autonomous is an office furniture company that sells anything from an office desk for home to the most advanced sit/stand desks on the market. 

Potentially, the best thing about this brand is that they offer a bulk order program that makes getting everything to set up an office easy. The program can help people save up to 20% on chairs and desks. This makes buying an ergonomic chair for many employees much more viable

Bulk programs in other companies that sell office furniture tend to be the low-quality branch of the brand. What ends up happening is that people can bulk order the typical black upholstery chairs found in plenty of offices. These chairs could last a decent amount of time, but sitting in them is uncomfortable. 

With the deals that Autonomous offers, it makes more sense to go ahead and upgrade to a smart desk. There are even larger tables to accommodate workspaces for more people, but all of these options still have smart desk features. 

The quality of the products can go a long way toward showing Millennial employees that the company truly cares about innovating in the workplace.

Will Millennials Value Decent Office Furniture?

There are two things that companies have gotten wrong about Millennials’ work culture. The first one is the notion that Millennials want to sit on the floor in uncomfortable positions. That may have been the case 10 years ago, but as was mentioned before, this generation is aging.

The bean bag chairs referenced earlier were a way to get out of the traditional office space. It wasn’t like previous generations were thrilled about sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours daily. Previous generations seemingly did not question many of these elements like Millennials began to.

The sitting on the floor part of the office reimagining process in the last 10 years is part of a cry to change things. Now that virtually all industries have employees spending a ton of time in front of a screen, doing so from the floor or an uncomfortable chair is not as appealing.

In certain situations, it’s not that workers will overvalue the furniture. What it shows is an effort on the company’s part to ensure that they feel comfortable. While that may seem like minimal effort, there are plenty of workplaces out there that are unwilling to change.

Productivity is one of those elements that most companies are concerned with. Psychology and other fields want to help find elements to increase a worker’s productivity. Will an ergonomic chair and a standing desk do the trick?

The results are going to vary depending on the worker that’s actually using the facilities. Business owners may want to look in the mirror and realize they would probably rather sit in a more comfortable chair. While the results may not necessarily be quantifiable, just making things more comfortable for workers can always be considered a decent investment.

Other Elements to Create a Better Millennial Workplace

What a lot of companies are now doing is adding break rooms to their offices. They are where the employee can unwind and potentially use their phone to contact people outside of work for a while. These are no longer the break rooms of old with vending machines that smelled funny.

Adding quality seating areas in these break rooms can also be a massive plus for Millennials. These rooms should be places that truly help a person disconnect for at least a little while. Companies who set up one of these rooms should want their employees to enjoy their experience within the room.

When employees don’t use certain designated areas within the office, they turn into wasted space. That “break room” could’ve easily been turned into a storage space, potentially saving the company money. Regardless of the type of office being designed, adding quality elements and making the space attractive is always a good idea.

Many companies get this wrong because they don’t invest enough time, effort, and money into the design of these places. Some businesses even love putting old furniture in these areas. They fail to realize that Millennials will likely avoid these areas, so, as was mentioned, they turn into wasted space.

Another idea could be to directly ask the employees what they believe the workplace is missing. When Millennials do not run the company, it could be harder to get a sense of what they like. Getting everyone involved in an office redesign project could be a great idea.

Final Thoughts

It would be a lie to say that most Millennials don’t prefer spacious offices. The space allows for more opportunities to add quality furniture while leaving enough room to walk out and about. These are two elements that Millennials are usually going to appreciate.

There are still ways to make a workplace more appealing, even with limited spaces. Many times, where companies fail is not knowing what to buy and where to get it from. There are not many good reasons to purchase traditional office furniture.

With the best office space and furniture on the planet, a toxic workplace will still remain toxic. Some situations can’t necessarily be fixed by creating a better physical workplace. That doesn’t mean that an excellent physical space can’t benefit, so it shouldn’t be something that people or companies overlook.

Another big misconception is that creating an ideal workplace for Millennials has to be expensive. They want the best technology available to feel appreciated in their job. However, quality office materials don’t have to be expensive if purchased from the right place!

The power of a good office chair is something that should never be understated. This is not relevant just because an employee may be more productive if they sit in a comfortable chair. The wear and tear that a person’s body can take on the wrong chair for extended hours can be significant and cause long-term issues.