Generation Y and the Workplace Annual Report 2010 - Haworth

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Workplace
There is a clear preference for flexible working and being able to choose when and where to
conduct work with the ultimate aim of achieving a sustainable work / life balance
This contrasts with the Generation Y’s preference for dedicated workstations and the ability to
personalise their work space as they are able to personalise their web applications to establish
their own identity
The desire to work with slightly more than the recommended amount of space per workstation
was also reflected but is not critical if addressed carefully
While the financial benefits of flexible working are clear work will have to be done with the
Generation Y to help them to trade their dedicated desk for mobility and team oriented spaces
Because the possibility exists (due to technology) for the Generation Y to work in any location the
workplace needs to be less structured and focus on supporting a mixture of work settings
Work setting “choice” is key not only in the designated office but also in urban space in the form
of public amenities and community spaces supported by technology
What has been very evident in the Oxygenz survey is that the Generation Y three important
factors are “Opportunities for Learning”, “Quality of Life” and “Work Colleagues”,
Their creativity and productivity is triggered by three major factors: “The people around them”,
colleagues and collaborators, “The ambiance and atmosphere” in the workplace through the
design, layout and facilities but also people, and “The technology” solutions they are provided with.
Information Technology / Web 2.0 platform
Employees must provide the latest range of mobile technologies
Sharing printing facilities must be widely accepted and promoted
Access to social networking tool during work is recommended and should not be neglected as a
powerful tool to support team building and networking within the workplace boundaries
Human Resources
Flexible working contracts must be the norm and are expected from most employees to enable a
better work life balance, minimise constraint to work and reconcile family life with working life.
Access to flex time and ad hoc working hours must be considered and widely accessible to all
employees.
The mobile nature of a flexible working style has a positive impact on the need to travel at
traditional times of day enabling a more balanced life style
Green travel schemes should be promoted to limit the use of cars to travel to the office
Learning and Development opportunities should be offered within the working experience
Global WorkPlace Innovation
The workplace can directly support and influence these findings through an office environment that
enables individuals and teams to collaborate and engage with each other. It remains crucially important
to understand what things matter most to the 18 – 25 years old. The data reveals a fascinating insight
into this new generation and how they are and behave compared to previous one. The initial results
confirm the characteristics that are attributed to Generation Y. There are five aspects of the initial
findings we should draw attention to:
Their desires and expectations of mobility and flexible working
Their focus on team working and collaboration (both formal and informal)
The high value they place on opportunities for learning
The importance of the physical environment in which they work
How strongly environmentally concious they are
Their sociability
The generation Y is inherently social, team focused and embraces flexibility. Organisations now have the
opportunity to view the potential in the Generation Y at work, embrace their environmental consciousness
and consider their emotional engagement with their workplace as a source of business advantages.
It is conceivable that there might come a day when offices are no longer considered necessary. For the
moment though, the provision of appropriate workplaces remains largely with employers. Our results
and our observations show that individual engage with their working environments and the people
around them.
There is a common belief that people are more often interested in what’s happening on their digital
devices than the people sitting next to them. But the Oxygenz results demonstrate again that work is
inherently social. Organisations now have the opportunity to view the Generation Y sociability as a source
of business advantages, giving them access to the collective intelligence available across organisational
boundaries and contained within Generation Y’s extended personal networks.
Recognising the value of networked sociability and enabling it through the design of the workplace and
organisational support environments will allow businesses to tap into the powerhouse of the Generation
Y energy, innovation, knowledge and creative potential.
Copyright © 2010, Johnson Controls. Confidential. All Rights Reserved.
Intellectual Property Johnson Controls, Haworth and iDEA.
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