Research confirms what TENGO Designers have been seeing. Gen Z will not work like their parents

The way we work has changed more in the last few years than many companies expected. The biggest shift came when large parts of the workforce moved home during the pandemic. At first, it looked like a temporary emergency solution. Soon, many companies discovered that remote work could actually work.

At TENGO, we noticed that the change was not only about remote work. It was also about people. Especially younger people. Their approach to work, education, career and the office is different. Now, research confirms what we have been seeing in real office projects: Gen Z does not want to work like their parents.

For many companies, hybrid work was supposed to be temporary. The plan was simple: wait until everything goes back to normal. But in many industries, the old normal never fully returned.

People do not come to the office just because there is a desk waiting for them. They come when the office offers something useful: collaboration, mentoring, focus, social contact or a stronger sense of belonging.

At the same time, Gen Z is becoming a stronger part of the labour market. This generation, broadly born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, entered professional life in a very different reality. They grew up with digital tools, social media, economic uncertainty and fast access to information.

That matters for employers. A workplace designed around older assumptions may no longer work for younger teams. The office cannot be only a place to sit at a computer. It has to become a place where people learn, meet, recharge, collaborate and feel part of something.

For previous generations, the career path was often clear. Education came first. Then the first job. Then gradual promotion. Ideally, one employer for many years. Stability was the main value. This model still works for many people. There is nothing wrong with wanting predictability and long-term employment. But it is no longer the only obvious choice.

Gen Z is more mobile. Young professionals are often ready to change jobs after a few years, sometimes sooner. Older colleagues may see this as a lack of loyalty. But that interpretation is too simple. For many young people, changing jobs is not about avoiding work. It is about finding a better fit. A new city, or a new experience.

Deloitte’s research points in this direction. Younger workers are increasingly defining progress on their own terms. Stability, skills and wellbeing can be more important than quick promotion. Only a small share of Gen Z sees reaching a leadership position as the main career goal.

Remote work gave employees something very valuable: time. No commuting. More flexibility. More control over the day. So if companies want people to return to the office, they need to offer more than a desk and a chair. The office must give something that home cannot. Human contact. Team energy. Mentoring. Informal conversations. Quick feedback. A sense of belonging.

This is especially important for younger employees. Many of them do not come to the office only to complete tasks. They come to meet people, build relationships and feel the atmosphere of the company. A coffee corner, a shared lunch table, a terrace, a relaxed lounge, a small gaming area or a board game evening may look like small details. In reality, they are social infrastructure. For employers, this is one of the biggest lessons. The "extras" are no longer always extra. They can influence how people feel about the company.

From a design perspective, one of the biggest mistakes is treating every square metre only as a potential workstation. That approach belongs to another era.

If a company wants people to come in, it needs spaces that make being together easier. A well-designed kitchen can become the heart of the office. A comfortable lounge can support spontaneous mentoring. A playroom can help people from different teams meet naturally. A terrace can become the place where someone finally has time to talk through an idea. For employers, this has real value. Stronger relationships support retention. They also improve collaboration. Many of the best ideas do not appear in formal meetings. They appear during a coffee break, after a quick conversation or in a relaxed moment when people feel comfortable enough to speak freely.

A human-centred office is not only about socialising. It also has to protect focus. Young employees may value collaboration, but they also need privacy and control over their work environment.

Open offices can work well, but only when they are designed carefully. Without acoustic control, they quickly become stressful. Noise makes concentration difficult. Lack of privacy makes calls uncomfortable. Too much visual distraction can make people tired before the day is over.

That is why acoustic booths, meeting pods and small focus rooms are becoming essential. They work like compact private rooms for calls, video meetings, one-to-one conversations and deep work. They do not require building new walls. They can be added to existing offices and often moved if the layout changes.

In offices where TENGO introduces well-planned acoustic solutions, we often see the same pattern. People start using them immediately. They become favourite places for focused work and private conversations. Employers quickly understand that acoustics is not a luxury. It is part of workplace quality.

The term "human-centred office" is used often, sometimes too often. But behind it there is a real shift. Companies are beginning to understand that the office should not force people into one way of working. It should offer choice. A good workplace allows people to focus, meet, learn, rest and reconnect.

For Gen Z, this is especially important. Young professionals often expect managers to support growth, explain context and respect boundaries. They want autonomy, but not isolation. They want flexibility, but also guidance. That means design has to start with behaviour, not colours.

Wellbeing cannot stay in HR presentations. If a company truly cares about wellbeing, people should feel it in space every day.

Daylight matters. Air quality matters. Ergonomic chairs matter. Good acoustics matter. Plants, natural materials, calm colours and comfortable lounges matter. They affect mood, energy and concentration.

This is not about creating an office that feels like a spa. It is about removing avoidable stress from the environment. Too much noise, poor lighting, bad seating and no place to recover are not neutral. They influence how people work and how long they can stay engaged. For young teams, these details are easy to notice.

There are two possible directions for the future of work. The first is more flexible and more human. Companies may continue moving towards autonomy, skills-based growth, mentoring, stronger wellbeing and offices designed around real human needs. This direction fits the expectations of many younger workers and supports long-term engagement.

The second direction is more controlling. AI, economic uncertainty and pressure on productivity may push some companies towards stricter monitoring, more data collection and tighter management.

This may look efficient at first, but it comes with risk. If employees feel watched rather than supported, trust disappears. The most realistic future may be somewhere in the middle. More flexibility, but with clearer expectations. More autonomy, but also more responsibility. Less rigid hierarchy, but more intentional moments of teamwork, learning and knowledge sharing.

At TENGO, we design offices that support people, not just accommodate them. We look at the team, the culture, the business goals and the real rhythm of work.

We combine interior design with practical knowledge of furniture, acoustics, ergonomics and workplace functionality. Our goal is simple: to create spaces that people want to use, not only spaces they are expected to attend.

Gen Z is not asking employers to make work less serious. It is asking them to make work more human. Companies that understand this will create offices that help people connect faster, learn better and do better work together.