Beige Men and Cauliflower Heads

So just what is the trigger that makes a man wake up one day and think, ‘Mmm beige, that’s the colour for me’, or his wife decide to cut short her greying hair and not only perm the far too short tufts in to overly tight curls but top it all off with an interesting hint of completely unnatural blue? I know its a totally non pc thing to say but it does seem to happen that way, beige men and cauliflower heads, as my younger brother used to innocently call them will become a more common sight in our places of work over the next 30 years.

The work demographic is changing as the work force ages. It’s calculated that by 2050 approximately just under a third of the workforce in the UK will be over the age of 60. Now apart from the potential dissatisfaction with their lot that this situation could cause it will have a massive impact on the design of the workplace. It will be possible to find a difference of 60 years in the ages of employees working in the same space and this will force designers and employers to review their preconceptions of what constitutes an appropriate work environment.

The first point to understand is why this situation has arisen. The ‘baby boomers’ i.e. those born between the mid nineteen forties to the early sixties will not be able to retire in the manor they would have hoped or planned and will need to continue to work, equally the knowledge and expertise that these individuals have accumulated over time is crucial to the success of industry and their skill sets are far too valuable to discard.

It is also important to consider the way that this more mature workforce will wish to continue working. Not all individuals will want to work and commute full time so it is anticipated that work methods will become even more flexible and mobile with workers dividing their time between office and home. It is also thought that larger corporations will generate a pool of known and trusted experts who they will call upon when needed.

But what of the workplace and the new demands placed upon it by the mature worker? It is well documented that the more mature amongst us are more acutely affected by extremes in temperature more sensitive to lighting levels and more affected by noise levels than those of less advanced years. This in itself is going to have to be a focus for attention for workspace design teams. The provision of a one solution fits all scenario will no longer be enough. Older workers are far more concerned about health wellbeing and their work life balance. The ability to work in a flexible way will be a major element in making a workplace choice and the comfort and quality of their surroundings and the equipment they use will be of far greater concern to them than it will be to their younger colleagues. While the benefits of continued mental stimulation are well known the physical demands of full time employment within the modern workspace at these advanced ages are far less considered.

However the softening and general opening up of the work space while benefiting the general work populous will potentially adversely affect the wellbeing and ultimately the output of the greying workforce. Flexibility and control will be the key. Workers will require access to a multitude of various work environments some of which give them individual control of temperature and lighting.

It’s not that this experienced group of employees will be any more demanding or temperamental but more that they will have a slightly different set of requirements. The beige men and cauliflower heads will become an ever important resource and one on which UK business will become ever more reliant. Their experience and knowledge mean that they can not, should not and most definitely will not be ignored and so their needs and desires will have to be catered for. This will mean taking a whole new look at what constitutes an acceptable workplace and even reconsidering whether some of the current trends and accepted beneficial interior design practices are in fact going to cause problems for a third of the workforce in the future.