It could be out with old meeting rooms and in with new social spaces , as Generation Y is set to transform the way we work in the next 10 years . In the U.S. , those born between 1979 and 1997 are predicted to make up the largest part of the workforce within a decade and with it change offices and the nature of work itself . `` We are facing a huge generational shift , as baby boomers ( born between 1946 and 1964 ) leave the workforce , and that means we have to rethink our workspace , '' says Michael O'Neill , senior director of workplace research for Knoll , Inc. By the end of the decade , the balance in the U.S. will flip from approximately 50 % baby boomers and 25 % Generation Y workers to 25 % baby boomers and 50 % Generation Y workers , according to a 2010 report from Knoll , a workplace furnishing company . `` That is a massive shift , and it will happen in less than eight years , '' says O'Neill . To understand how workspaces will need to change to accommodate and attract this new generation of workers , O'Neill and Knoll looked at the work patterns and preferences of more than 15,000 employees in 40 countries , and across four generations . Their findings reveal a number of generational differences . For example , Generation Y rates the importance of having an `` engaging workplace '' highest and the `` quality of meeting rooms '' lowest , while baby boomers rate these features opposite , with high importance on meeting rooms . `` Baby boomers like structured , face-to-face meetings , '' says O'Neill . That 's how they usually get things done . And if that 's how you get things done , the quality of meeting spaces will be important to you . '' Generation Y on the other hand , likes quick , casual and socially-tinged meetings . Their use of technology in interaction further undermines the importance of lengthy meetings and formal spaces , according to O'Neill . As for their top priority on an engaging workspace , Generation Y blends their personal and private life , and they like a workplace to feel residential and like home , says O'Neill , explaining that baby boomers do n't expect or want spaces that evoke the emotional connectedness of home . `` They tend to separate their work life and their personal life , '' he says , adding that their focus is more on function and on efficient spaces . So how will this play out in the office of the future ? `` It already does , '' says Alison Maitland , co-author of `` Future work : How business can adapt and thrive in the new world of work '' . `` It is the idea of work being an activity and not a place . That is more important , '' she says , `` and it is already happening in companies like Unilever 's Hamburg office and Microsoft 's office in Amsterdam . `` The focus there is on collaboration and innovation , nobody has a permanent desk , and employees are encouraged to move around and work in a space that best suit their activity at any given time . '' However , she emphasizes that the generational shift is just one of many variables pushing us into a new world of work . Changes in technology , the economy and businesses are all part of the shift . Read more : 8 ways to make your office life better . `` There used to be formulas for how to crank out an office building for a certain amount of people , '' says O'Neill . `` Now , designers are building a wider variety of rooms tailored to each company 's function and direction . You are seeing more open meeting spaces , lounge furniture near circulation spaces and that type of thing . It is a shift from a 'me ' to a 'we ' workspace . '' However , tearing down all these walls can be a challenge to baby boomers . `` It hurts when you take the office away , '' says O'Neill , `` because you feel like you have worked your whole career , and you 've earned that . To baby boomers , the office is a status marker . To Generation Y , a status symbol is more likely to be whether or not it has the new iPad or a certain level of freedom . '' Generation X ( those born between 1965 and 1978 ) is a group that grew up with financial and work insecurity and has little in common with Generation Y or baby boomers , believes O'Neill . `` They tend to be more skeptical . Their focus is on security ; they are more the 'show me the money ' generation , '' he says . Are cool offices the key to success ? So , how does a company maneuver this field of different generations and preferences ? `` Be aware of your workforce and your employees ' needs and wants , '' says Laura Sabattini , senior director of research at Catalyst , a non-profit organization that works to expand business opportunities for women . `` Assess the specific group because there is so much variation . That is a way to start creating a workforce that is inclusive . '' Maitland agrees : `` Companies that are going to have three or four generations in their workplace really do need to think about those different work styles and different preferences . Falling over to accommodate only Generation Y would not be the most productive way and could backfire . ''
Those born between 1979 and 1997 will be dominant age group in workforce in ten years . Difference in values between baby boomers and workers Y set to transform employment . ' We ' put more emphasis on family , personal attachment to work , suggests report . Others suggest that offices need to be able to provide for all generations to thrive .