Technology has changed the way we work forever, yet the places we work haven’t changed much in the last 50 years. Millennials who have spearheaded the mass adoption of workforce mobility, will make up 70 percent of the workforce by 2030. They already account for 50 percent. According to an annual survey by PwC they value choice, flexibility and experience in the places they work above all else, including salary.
Work-life balance is being replaced by work-life integration.
With more the 70 percent of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2030, major policy shifts and corporate incentives favour urbanisation. Ownership is being redefined and the future is defined by the sharing economy making life more convenient and efficient. The sharing economy and social model for the 21st century means we won’t need to own as many goods and assets anymore, when you can rent a better experience on demand, as soon as you need it. Ten years ago, did we feel comfortable sharing a car with a stranger or allowing a stranger to sleep in your bed? – now it’s widely accepted and people are making hugely successful businesses out of it.
Termed the creative class, the emerging group of nomadic workers makes up 35 percent of the workforce in the US and is projected to be 40 percent by 2030 – where do these people go to get things done?
The prediction is the demand for Third Places such as coffee shops and co-working environments will become the number one places for cross-connecting people and organisations. However, today’s versions of a fancy hotel lobby or contemporary, connected library will not be enough to sustain a creative class that requires work-life integration.
The workplace will become the single most important asset through which companies attract and develop higher levels of talent, increase collaboration, innovation, and most importantly business results. These will need to become integrated work-life destinations where people truly enjoy the experience, find purpose and are motivated.
We must work together to create places not spaces.