The Workplace of Tomorrow

A global survey identifies what tomorrow’s workforce values

Who knows what kids are thinking these days?
Well, if those “kids” are the workers of tomorrow, Johnson Controls is going to great lengths to identify what this group believes is the ideal work environment.
OXYGENZ, a Johnson Controls initiative, is a global survey of Generation Y (people ages 18 to 25) to pinpoint what this generation desires in work and the workplace environment.
The survey can be found at www.oxygenz.com. It was developed by Johnson Controls’ Global WorkPlace Solutions business in partnership with Haworth, a leader in the design and manufacture of adaptable workspace, and iDEA, an innovative multimedia design company.
There, young people participate in an interactive survey that helps build a profile of what they consider to be the ideal workplace. Additionally, survey participants can share their ideas and feedback with others throughout the world.

The Best and Brightest
The knowledge will help Johnson Controls and other companies recruit the leaders of tomorrow.
“OXYGENZ is one of the biggest research projects our innovation team has undertaken, and it is also one of the most exciting,” says Guy Holden, vice president and general manager of Johnson Controls’ Global WorkPlace Solutions, “and will play an important role in helping us advise our clients on preparing their workplaces to attract Generation Y and support their long-term business success.”
The dynamics of the workforce are changing, and the upcoming workforce has a new vision of what is essential to a productive and stimulating work environment.
“This type of research is absolutely essential in helping us really understand and appreciate how young people view the workplace and the role it plays in their employment choices,” says Marie Puybaraud, director of Global WorkPlace Innovation at Johnson Controls and the creator of the survey.
“The findings will offer a broad range of information and insight—telling us the emphasis that Generation Y puts on the workplace, its design, smart environments and technologies they would prefer to use, the facilities they want, as well as their views on environmental issues. Also, by approaching this from a global perspective, we’ll also come to understand how those preferences and perspectives differ across continents and how they change and develop over time.”
Johnson Controls believes data from the OXYGENZ project will prove critical in developing and maintaining a more comfortable, safe and sustainable workplace environment that, in turn, will prove a powerful recruiting and retention tool for companies of all sorts.
OXYGENZ is sponsored and supported by a number of leading global corporations, including the BBC.