{"id":1004181073,"date":"2017-06-20T01:21:55","date_gmt":"2017-06-20T09:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004181073"},"modified":"2022-12-08T20:26:43","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T04:26:43","slug":"keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Millennials in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Diana Mosher<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the recurring themes at NeoCon 2017<\/a>, June 12-14 was the notion that incorporating residential elements into the workplace experience can help companies attract and retain the best employees.<\/p>\n

Hosted by The Mart, a massive Art Deco style building spanning two-and-a-half city blocks in Chicago, NeoCon is the largest trade show for commercial design and furnishings. The products and trends showcased here are backed by research and data designed with workforce productivity and ROI in mind.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A variety of meeting spaces provides employees with choices. Rocking chairs are a popular addition to open plan breakout areas. Image courtesy of JSI<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Corporate real estate executives who toured The Mart\u2019s permanent showrooms and temporary booths were left with this take away: the workplace designed with rocking chairs, comfy sofas (the kind you can get horizontal on and put your feet up), movable poufs and gorgeous coffee tables that would look great in a living room are an invitation to kick back\u2014but not to work less. Ideally, because we spend so much of our time working, the workplace should have as many of the comforts of home as possible.<\/p>\n

Intertwining Spaces<\/h2>\n

The current thinking in workplace design is all about creating places people want<\/em> to come into, an office where they\u2019re as comfortable as they are in their homes. This is also a way for organizations to attract some of their remote employees back to the office more frequently.<\/p>\n

\"Offices<\/a>

Offices that provide all the comforts of home and the ability to move around during the day will keep Millennials engaged longer. Umami collection. Photo courtesy of Steelcase<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Investing in workplace solutions that blur the boundaries between home and work environments can also help employers cater to the restless Millennial workforce, keep them engaged and retain them longer.<\/p>\n

NeoCon attendees also saw a major blurring between work and play. JSI Furniture (aka Jasper Group) may have expressed it best with its NeoCon tagline \u201dWork at Play, Play at Work.\u201d<\/p>\n

JSI has been rolling out hip furniture collections with playful names like Moto, Reef and Bravado. Marketing verbiage\u2014such as \u201cwork the way you live\u201d and \u201cfollow your dreams\u201d\u2014is designed to appeal to a new generation of workers, but surely it\u2019s just as pleasing to Gen X and Baby Boomers.<\/p>\n

Another continuing trend reflected in this year\u2019s NeoCon product offerings is the idea that \u201csitting is the new smoking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Employers have already begun supporting a less sedentary work day with movable height desks. But that\u2019s just the beginning. Manufacturers are rolling out irresistible new furniture options, such as secluded alcoves for one or two with movable privacy panels, that encourage employees to take a stroll to the other side of the office.<\/p>\n

Enhancing Productivity<\/h2>\n
\"Employers<\/a>

Employers can offer a quiet enclosed space for conference calls or a project requiring concentration. Image courtesy of Jabbrrbox<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Jabbrrbox One is a new product that helps address the acoustical challenges of open plan offices. This 48\u201d x 48\u201d x 90\u201d single occupancy booth provides a distraction-free place for conference calls, lengthy projects or hyper-focused work. Jabbrrbox One comes pre-equipped with a Philips Hue LED light strip capable of producing 16 million different colors, power outlets and USB charging ports.<\/p>\n

Proximity to nature can also enhance workplace productivity. A number of NeoCon exhibitors displayed vegetation on \u201cliving walls\u201d, and this popular trend has already been embraced by companies including Capital One whose Chicago offices I toured while in town for NeoCon.<\/p>\n

\"Capitol<\/a>

Capital One employees can take a break or conduct a meeting \u201coutdoors\u201d even on the coldest Chicago day. Image courtesy of Capital One<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Chicago winters can be rough, but it\u2019s always bright and warm in the breakout area on the 22nd floor that simulates a rooftop terrace complete with grass flooring and living wall.<\/p>\n

Known as The Shop, the 22nd floor is home to creative tech teams who enjoy walls with writable surfaces, colorful murals by local street artists and a maker\u2019s lab. Stocked with a 3-D printer and art materials like Play-doh and construction paper, the maker\u2019s lab provides associates with a place to get away from the work at hand.<\/p>\n

Having a place to play has heightened their productivity.<\/p>\n

So have the variety of lounge-like seating areas on the three floors of the building that I toured where Capital One Chicago employees enjoy all the comforts of home.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blurring the boundaries between home and work environments helps employers cater to the restless Millennial workforce, keeping them engaged longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":1004181074,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1491,21808,23891,21742,21747,21785],"tags":[32826,36154],"class_list":["post-1004181073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago","category-featured","category-national","category-latest","category-office","category-property-management","tag-millennials","tag-neocon"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKeeping Millennials in the Workplace - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Keeping Millennials in the Workplace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blurring the boundaries between home and work environments helps employers cater to the restless Millennial workforce, keeping them engaged longer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Property Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-20T09:21:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-09T04:26:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2017\/06\/A_NeoCon_JSI.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Diana Mosher\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/\",\"name\":\"Keeping Millennials in the Workplace - Commercial Property Executive\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2017\/06\/A_NeoCon_JSI.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-20T09:21:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-09T04:26:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1c9a21b40f0bcd757c66219797993b0f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/keeping-millennials-in-the-workplace-neocon-special-report\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2017\/06\/A_NeoCon_JSI.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2017\/06\/A_NeoCon_JSI.jpg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"A variety of meeting spaces provides employees with choices. 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