Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates 2018 Consumer Office Survey December 2018
Americans are comfortable with open offices with private spaces and limited noise, according to a Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults. The survey conducted by The Harris Poll in September 2018 identified Americans’ attitudes towards open office concepts to understand how businesses can optimize office space according to worker preferences.
Most adults are comfortable with working in an open office if there is sufficient private space, noise reduction and meeting rooms
- 74% of U.S. adults are comfortable working in an open office if there are private spaces available
- 73% of U.S. adults are comfortable working in an open office if there is limited noise and distraction
- 66% of U.S. adults are comfortable working in an open office if there is a large meeting space available
- 48% are comfortable with sharing an office/workspace with a coworker or coworkers
Comfortableness with working in an open office, with conditions being met, does not vary wildly across age demographics, although younger generations tend to be slightly more likely to be open to this type of office layout
- 75% of Gen Z and younger millennials (ages 18-34) and 80% of older millennials (ages 35-44) are comfortable working in an open office if there is sufficient private space available, and 74% of Gen Xers (ages45-54) and 73% of Baby Boomers (ages 55-64) feel the same
- 79% of Gen Z and younger millennials and 77% of older millennials are more likely to be comfortable working in an open office if there is limited noise and distraction, compared with 69% of Baby Boomers
- 70% of Gen Z and younger millennials and 71% of older millennials are more likely to be comfortable working in an open office if there is a large meeting space available, compared with 61% of Baby Boomers
- While a slight majority of Gen Z and younger millennials (58%) and older millennials (52%) are comfortable with sharing their workspace with a coworker(s), only 45% of Gen X and 41% of Baby Boomers feel the same
Most employed U.S. adults believe their office could better utilize physical space
- 63% of employed U.S. adults believe that their office could better utilize its physical space
- 75% of employed Gen Z and younger millennials (aged 18-34) believe their office could better utilize its physical space
- 69% of employed older millennials (aged 35-44) believe their office could better utilize its physical space
- 56% of employed Gen Xers (aged 45-54) believe that their office could better utilize its physical space
- 48% of employed Baby Boomers (aged 55-64) believe that their office could better utilize its physical space
Americans find simple office features that could improve their work experience to be helpful
- Notably, the top 3 amenities Americans would find useful to have at the office are dining options (59%), enough parking (57%) and outdoor lounging spaces (37%)
- While 62% of Baby Boomers cite enough parking, only 46% of younger millennials and Gen Z say the same. Millennials and Gen Z are also more likely than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers to cite a childcare facility as a helpful office feature (32% of Gen Z/younger millennials and 28% of older millennials vs. 17% of Gen X and 20% of Boomers).
What type of features would be helpful for you to have located within your workplace or office location?
|
Feature Type |
Total |
Younger Millennials and Gen Z |
Older Millennials |
Gen X |
Baby Boomers |
|
Food court, cafeteria or restaurant |
59% |
53% |
57% |
55% |
61% |
|
Enough parking |
57% |
46% |
53% |
54% |
62% |
|
Outdoor lounging space |
37% |
33% |
37% |
40% |
42% |
|
Fitness club |
34% |
30% |
43% |
33% |
38% |
|
Meeting center/Boardroom |
32% |
30% |
28% |
29% |
37% |
|
Rest area/Napping room |
31% |
34% |
38% |
29% |
27% |
|
Parking/storage for alternative commuting options (e.g., electric car charging stations, weather-protected bicycle storage, etc.) |
28% |
29% |
29% |
28% |
26% |
|
Proximity to stores and retail facilities |
27% |
21% |
29% |
23% |
35% |
|
Creative space(s) for collaboration/brainstorming |
25% |
26% |
22% |
20% |
25% |
|
Recreational center |
25% |
26% |
29% |
27% |
23% |
|
Childcare facility |
24% |
32% |
28% |
17% |
20% |
|
Dry cleaner |
10% |
14% |
13% |
6% |
7% |
|
Hair salon/Barber |
10% |
13% |
12% |
7% |
7% |
|
Other |
3% |
2% |
5% |
3% |
1% |
|
None |
12% |
12% |
9% |
16% |
15% |
Response base:
Total respondents: 2,008 American adults (ages 18 and older)
Definition of generational classifications:
For the purposes of this survey, the different generations were defined as follow:
Younger Millennials and Gen Z: age 18-34
Older Millennials: age 35-44
Gen Xers: age 44-54
Boomers: age 55-64
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Coldwell Banker from September 25-27, 2018 among 2,008 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,114 are employed. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Athena Snow at Athena.Snow@coldwellbanker.com.
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