You’re Not Google

Why having a ‘too cool’ office sends the wrong message to Gen Z

Two hands holding blueberries

Those bean bag chairs in the conference room could be losing you good employees. According to a recent study by Associate Professor of Communication Dr. Elizabeth Larson, the generation currently entering the workforce prefers functionality over fashion.

Gen Z employees value flexibility, individual identity and aligning work with purpose. Post-pandemic, they have ample experience with remote work and recognize when a physical workspace isn’t practical.

“Organizations use their aesthetics and design as a recruiting tool, especially for younger workers,” Larson said. “That’s when the organizations think people want a cool workspace, they want it to look trendy, they want a slide, they want a bar. But that’s not necessarily what workers actually want. So, I think that that’s a really interesting disconnect.”

Larson, a faculty member in the School of Communication and Journalism in the College of Liberal Arts, specializes in how materiality affects organizations and communication.

Her study brought together Gen Z students about to enter the workforce for discussions about workplace imagery. Students chose office photos from Pinterest and had focus group discussions about their preferences.

While they appreciated a well-designed office, the Gen Z students were very skilled in looking past trends to determine if they would be able to work effectively in a space. For example, an open-concept office allows no privacy, while cubicles don’t encourage collaboration.

These discussions, Larson said, pointed to the need for a variety of workspaces to accommodate different employees’ job requirements and preferences.

“One thing that comes up in the creativity literature is the cave and commons model. The idea is that organizations have ‘caves’ where people can do individual, focused work, but also have places where people can come together to do collaborative work,” Larson said. “Most kinds of work require both of those phases. So, that literature suggests creating organizational spaces that have both, which was reflected in a lot of what the students said they recognized.”

Students recognized what types of offices they would work best in because, despite being students, they have experience with a variety of spaces. As college students, they regularly travel among home, class, library and coffee shops to work. They also have internships and the experiences of relatives to draw upon as to what makes a productive office.

Larson suggests trusting all employees — not just Gen Z — to know what works best for them and talking to employees about what they need in the office.

“Space and payroll are the biggest expenses for pretty much any organization. It’s important to know if you’re spending all this money on something and it’s not even what people want,” Larson said. “More variety of spaces that people can move between fluidly, depending on their work preferences, really would make a difference. That also includes giving people flexibility to work from home versus work in the office. Most students know whether working at home is great for them or a disaster. Most people have that self-awareness.”

The point, Larson’s study suggests, is that a company doesn’t have to be Google — whose offices famously feature amenities such as sleeping pods and rock-climbing walls — to attract Gen Z. For a company to be competitive in recruiting and retaining employees, it must provide a physical space that makes room for a variety of work styles where employees can get their work done.

But natural light, a few plants and comfortable chairs will help.

“At the end of the day, students said, ‘If it’s my dream job, I’ll work in a terrible workspace.’ That’s not going to be the deal breaker, but it is something that’s less attractive to them,” Larson said. “Gen Z is asking, ‘Could I see myself being a productive, functional, happy worker here?’ more than, ‘Is this the most Instagrammable workspace ever?’”

What Makes a Good Workspace?
Sample answers from focus groups

Ability to personalize

Storage

Good seating

Space that facilitates good communication

No surveillance and options for privacy

Sets the right mood

Amenities

Tools to get job done

Flexibility

Ownership

Functionality

Collaborative

Individual

Clean