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Today, the workforce is aging rapidly, but only 10% of companies have a strategy to retain mature workers, according to a survey by career support platform HR Brain. Since the 1980s, Pew Research Center reports the number of workers age 65 and older in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled. Creating workspaces built for an aging workforce stands to benefit companies. A 2024 global academic study on age-inclusive workforce practices found that keeping more experienced, older workers on the job led to money saved on recruitment, training, and knowledge acquisition across organizations. Tim Glowa, founder and CEO of HR Brain, noted older employees have the most relationships with suppliers and clients, and the most institutional knowledge. However, the design specialists Fast Company spoke to found most companies aren’t thinking of creating office spaces for their older employees. Instead, they are focusing on attracting younger workers and accommodating neurodivergent employees. [Photo: Lord Abbett/Mike Van Tassell] More than a decade ago, Jeremy Myerson, now professor emeritus in design at the Royal College of Art in London, noticed a brain drain problem in the U.K. workforce. Many workers were retiring in their fifties, leaving companies with knowledge gaps instead of taking the time to pass their experience down to newer employees. To address the problem, Myerson got a government grant to examine older workers needs, collaborating with companies in the U.K., Japan, and Australia. They landed on the idea of inclusive design, he says, not just designing for older people . . . but providing better standards of all round design in the workplace. Ironically, the inclusive design that Myerson thought about years ago is popular right now, because it also happens to accommodate the needs and desires of the neurodivergent and young workers companies prioritize. Older workers end up benefitingbut unintentionally, even though they were the original inspiration for Myersons inclusive design. [Photo: Lord Abbett/Mike Van Tassell] The Elements of Inclusive Design Upon entering large office buildings, its common to find kiosks with screens depicting the buildings layout, complete with interactive maps you can click for directions. Often, officegoers can download these apps to their smartphones, and navigate with phones in hand as they walk. But not all workers have smartphones, particularly older ones, and too much screen time can strain eyes of all ages. With generally reduced visual acuity, older workers relying entirely on screens or apps for [office] navigation can be a big barrier, says Carolina Madrigal, senior associate and creative director at HLWs brand experience studio, Brandx. Her studio implements high contrast analog signage and tactile cues for people finding their way around workspaces, a tactic thats also helpful for some workers with disabilities. This often means implementing what Madrigal calls landmark elements. Colors that change depending on a spaces function and even art installations can serve as memorable references, she says. For example, at investment company Lord Abbetts New Jersey headquarters, Madrigals team commissioned custom art pieces that reflect the companys history, one incorporating its old ledgers, another a woven piece resembling financial graphs. The historical nod can also make older workers wanting to share company history with incoming employees feel seen. [Photo: Lord Abbett/Mike Van Tassell] Light and sound The warmer lighting and aesthetics that make an office feel more like home have generally been tailored to younger workers. Ricardo Nabholz, studio creative director at TPG Architecture, has found these elements resonate just as much, if not more, with older officegoers, especially as many had spent decades in sterile cubicles with fluorescent lightingthey welcomed the comfortable change. However, circadian rhythm lighting, in which artificial indoor lights change color throughout the day to match the shifting sun outdoors, thought to jibe with the natural sleep/wake cycles of the human body and therefore provide health benefits other artificial lights dont, doesnt work. It ended up overtaxing older employees, says Erin McDannald, CEO of tech-focused design firm Elevated. She and her colleagues came by this discovery after wearing Oura Rings to their circadian-lit workspace. The same was true, they found, for people with autoimmune disease and autism. [Photo: Lord Abbett/Mike Van Tassell] The sweet spot? When people are sitting under 2700 Kelvin lights, says McDannald, they’re calm, cool and collected. The warm lighting promotes relaxation, while changing lights, like those used in circadian rhythm lighting, or those that are too bright increase stress, making it more difficult for officegoers to access the logical, decision-making parts of their brains. Certain office environments prove more stressful for aging workers. Older ears tend to have more trouble distinguishing single voices from background noise, making designated quiet spaces for meetings crucial. Quiet spaces arent just for older people. On a recent project for a financial technology firm, Nabholz said the mostly Gen X executive team wanted something between a playground and a cube farm. Nabholzs team came up with what he calls a layered environment, which included quiet zones, social lounges, and flexible meeting rooms, he says. Younger employees ended up flocking to quiet zones, thought to appeal most to older workers. It was a reminder that design thats responsive to one group often ends up resonating more broadly, Nabholz says. [Photo: Lord Abbett/Mike Van Tassell] Diversity in workers, diversity in workspaces Ultimately, accommodating an aging workforce means creating a variety of workspaces that cater to different workstyles. We use behavioral personaslike the heads-down worker, the hybrid floater, or the collaborative leadto understand needs more accurately, Nabholz says, not a hierarchy of ages. Over and over again the designers pointed out that the inclusive elements meant to help one persona often benefit another. For example, the ergonomic equipment that benefits someone managing arthritis can also benefit a 28-year-old with sensory sensitivities or a 40-year-old parent balancing work and caregiving, Nabholz says. Clients dont explicitly ask us to design for older workersbut they are prioritizing things like retention, culture-building, and productivity, he notes. Those goals absolutely intersect with the needs of an aging workforce. [Photo: Lord Abbett/Mike Van Tassell] Still, says Glowa, most companies arent even aware of the demographic time bomb theyre facing as a significant number of workers across industries near retirementin nursing, for example, the average age is already 50, per HR Brains report. He suggests how companies can avoid missing the boat on retaining older workers through both policy and design: Talk to your older workers, he says. Do they want more opportunities to mentor younger employees? More comfortable seating? Quieter workspaces? Then build policies that reflect that, he continues. Otherwise, you risk losing some of your most experienced people without a backup plan.
Category:
E-Commerce
All right, settle in, folks, because today we’re going to try to out-Google Google with the next generation of search: Perplexity. So, what exactly is Perplexity, and how’s it different from other AI chatbots like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot? Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot are primarily generative AI tools meant for creating text, writing code, brainstorming ideas, and engaging in free-form conversations. They generate stuff based on their training data. Perplexity is an answer engine. Its main job is to give you accurate, sourced answers to your questions by searching the internet in real time. It’s built for research and fact-finding. Instead of just generating text, it’s designed to summarize, synthesize, and cite information from across the web. And the best part? A lot of Perplexity’s brainpower is available right out of the box for free, no wallet required. Lets take things for a spin using one overarching example throughout: the rapid evolution of electric vehicle (EV) battery technology. Ask your question like a human Perplexity understands natural language. Just type your question clearly, like you’re asking a person: “What are the latest breakthroughs in EV battery technology?” Choose your sources This is where you tell Perplexity where to look. Even with the free version, you get access to powerful source filters. Look for the “Set sources for search” dropdown in the lower-right corner of the search box. It looks like a globe. Web (default) is for general news, current events, popular sites, and the like. For our EV example, this is perfect for getting an overview of “What are the latest breakthroughs in EV battery technology?” It’ll pull from tech blogs, auto news, and general science sites. Academic sources is for scientific papers, scholarly articles, and research journals. Think: “Detailed chemical mechanisms of solid-state battery electrolytes.” Social sources is for discussions, opinions, and real-world experiences from real people. Use Social and ask, “What are consumer experiences with EV range anxiety for new battery types?” And Finance sources is best for market data, company reports, and investment news: “Investment trends for companies developing next-gen EV batteries.” Follow up, then follow up some more Perplexity is designed for conversation. After it gives you an answer, you can ask follow-up questions within the same thread. Our initial “Web” search about EV battery breakthroughs mentioned “silicon anode technology.” You can then type, “How does silicon anode technology impact charging times?” or, “What are the main challenges in using silicon anodes in mass production?” Perplexity will remember your previous questions, making the conversation seamless. Double-check the sources Every single piece of information Perplexity gives you comes with clickable source citations. If Perplexity states, “Solid-state batteries offer higher energy density (Source 1) and faster charging (Source 2),” those little numbers are links. Click them to jump directly to the original article, research paper, or news report. This lets you fact-check Perplexity’s summary and see the information in its original context. Leverage your daily free ‘Pro Searches’ Perplexity gives free users a limited number of Pro Searches per day. Think of these as a daily allowance of super-powered queries. When you toggle on Pro Search (the looping X icon in the lower-left of the search box), Perplexity uses its most advanced AI models and a deeper search strategy. Save these for when your question is complex, highly nuanced, or when a regular search isn’t quite hitting the mark. For example, if you’re trying to compare the long-term cost-effectiveness of different EV battery chemistries, a Pro Search can often provide a more detailed and structured analysis. Other general tips So there you have it: Your crash course in getting started with Perplexity’s free features, all framed around the fascinating world of EV battery tech. Some other quick tips . . . Be specific: “EV batteries” is vague. “Latest breakthroughs in EV battery recycling methods” is much better. Use your free features strategically: The source filters, unlimited follow-ups, and daily Pro Searches are powerful tools. Make use of the Discover and Spaces tabs: Located in the left-hand nav, Discover is a powerful news aggregator, and Spaces lets you cordon off related searches for stuff like vacation planning. Consider a Pro plan: for $20 per month, you get more citations, file and photo uploads, unlimited Pro Searches, and a bunch of other goodies. Go forth, explore, and may your information be ever accurate and your searches ever fruitful.
Category:
E-Commerce
What happens when the wittiest fast food chain in the country and one of television’s sassiest characters come together? A not-so-happy meal. Restaurant chain Wendy’s announced a forthcoming collaboration with Netflix’s Wednesday ahead of the show’s new season release. In Wendy’s disruptive fashion, the brand did not shy away from irreverent packaging and gothic names, with plans to launch a “Meal of Misfortune” on August 11. The collaboration comes after a series of announced administrative changes at Wendy’s, a company currently valued at $2.1 billion. On July 18, the company’s CEO, Kirk Tanner, stepped down after a little over a year in the position. Ken Cook, Wendy’s chief financial officerwho had less than a year in that position and no previous restaurant experiencetook over as interim CEO while the board continues to look for a permanent replacement. In addition to the C-suite changes, Wendy’s has seen positive growth in its share price, up by 4.06% the time of publishing. The uptick follows the previous day’s announcement of Pete Suerken as Wendy’s new U.S. president, who will report to the current CEO. Online chatter has also helped the stock, with increased mentions on the popular retail investment subreddit r/wallstreetbets. The subreddit, which identifies itself as “like 4chan found a Bloomberg Terminal,” plays an outsized role in promoting so-called meme stocks. Just this week, several stocks have seen surprising gains thanks in part to online retail investors, including a boost for retailer Kohl’s and donut maker Krispy Kreme. ‘Nothing happy about this meal’ The Wednesday Addams collaboration is set to feature various Addams-family-inspired treats. For instance, the collab’s dips are named “You Can’t Hyde,” “This Will Sting,” “Grave Mistake,” and “Nowhere to Woe,” an ode to the character’s dark humor. The meal will also include an order of nuggets dubbed “Rest in 10-Piece,” “Cursed & Crispy” fries, and a “Raven’s Blood” Frosty. “This isn’t a typical collaboration, because not just any brand could scheme up a Meal of Misfortune with Wednesday Addams,” Liz Geraghty, Wendy’s International Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement. The meal’s packaging also boasts Addams fashion, featuring a black and purple color palette for the containers, as well as a carrier bag veiled with the fictional character’s iconic white collar and black dress combo. The phrase “there is nothing happy about this meal,” accompanies the bag’s design, an irreverent nod to the iconic Happy Meal from competitor McDonald’s. “For a brand that’s proudly customer-obsessed and unapologetically bold, it was a match made in dark, dry-witted heaven,” Geraghty added.
Category:
E-Commerce
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