Do Workers Want a Workplace Glow-Up?

As American workers return to in-person work, what are they hoping to find in their offices, warehouses, and work floors? Here's an intergenerational podcast w/ a surprising answer to that question.

Hey there, Happy Friday, and welcome to the Mode/Switch Pod. Gotta joke for ya.

So, a Boomer, an Xer, a Millennial, and a Gen Z walk into an office, where they find a Tiki Coffee Lounge, pink ergonomic keyboards, a conference room decorated like a Botswanan savannah, a fridge full of raspberry-flavored sparkling water, and—

Wait, this joke has no punchline, because this joke has no end. It just goes on and on and on, as organizational leaders keep looking for new ways to spruce up their offices and department floors to make employees happy to be back. Ack! Make it stop.

Good thing we Mode/Switchers are joined this week by organizational communication scholar, Dr. Elizabeth Larson (Auburn University), who shares her published research about what Gen Z workers in particular seek when it comes to aesthetics and functionality in the workplace.

Ken, Emily, Craig, LaShone, and Gabe chime in from all available generational angles on the question of what workers want in their workplaces.

And it’s not just putting lipstick on a cubicle.

-crai

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