ORANGE COUNTY, CA—Millennials have arguably impacted our lifestyle more markedly than any other demographic group since the Baby Boomers. But they have also significantly impacted the workplace. GlobeSt.com's sister publication Real Estate Forum spoke with industry experts with their finger on the pulse of Millennials about what is important to them in their workspaces compared to prior generations and came up with some interesting distinctions.

In the office realm, of course, the physical environment has been evolving, and it's largely due to Millennials' preferences. Andy Irwin, SVP at Murphy Development, told Forum this generation has an entirely different set of expectations of what the workplace is. “Employers are shifting their model on the type of work environment they offer. With the ability to work from any place in the developed world, the 9-to-5 workday has departed. Information is no longer stored in large filing cabinets but in the cloud. The working area of an office space contracts as employees' schedules are staggered, and they require less area to store physical documents.”

Where employers are saving space on less work area, they are increasing their collaborative and rejuvenating areas where employees spend time interacting or getting exercise. “The Millennials can get their work done and be productive at home, but what that lacks is the ability to collaborate with their colleagues,” says Irwin. “Employers are increasing the percentage of area within the workplace dedicated to places where employees can spend time in the rejuvenation and collaboration phase of their day. We see this in the form of lounge areas with pool and ping pong tables surrounded by vending machines offering complimentary snacks. Outdoor parking lots are being converted to plazas and decks with fire pits, TVs and bocce ball. Employers are also choosing locations that offer surrounding amenities within a short walk or bike ride.”

Heidi Hendy, founding principal of interior design and architectural firm H. Hendy Associates, told Forum a new type of office building is starting to be designed to handle a dynamic work process, with much more collaboration, and Millennials have had a huge impact on this shift. “Office buildings in the pipeline have higher ceilings to impact energy levels and more open space for teams to use together. People are paying attention to what we are doing the 60% to 70% of the work day that we are not at our desks and adding on-demand spaces that fit the specific needs of the company and its processes.”

Hendy adds that the cores of these buildings are being approached with a new way of working and a new kind of leader in mind. “Cores are being split open to improve collaboration and offer environments where employees feel comfortable and inspired. For Millennials, comfort means having everything at your fingertips. Millennials like highly functional workspaces, but they also like the convenience of having everything that they need in one place. This means that buildings are incorporating more amenities and 'internal urban areas' to make the workspace feel like a 'home base.' ”

Irwin says to stay competitive, employers will need to offer various amenities within the workplace to attract and retain Millennials in the age of the Internet. “Older buildings with antiquated infrastructure will suffer. The ability to have flexibility within a building is desired. As working groups grow and shrink more rapidly and require new technological infrastructure, workspace will need to be malleable. The work area will need to consist of temporary walls and components that can be easily refitted to accommodate the evolving needs of the workers.”

For the complete Real Estate Forum article that includes this topic, click here.