Johnson Controls International (JCI) and Haworth have launched a global survey across aimed at uncovering the expectations of the next working generation to help to understand their preferences for their future workplace. Dubbed "Oxygens", the study is primarily aimed at students and younger workers (those born in 1980 and later) who are members of the demographic grouping that is commonly known as "generation Y".

Developed by JCI's Global Workplace Solutions business in partnership with Haworth, a global leader in office furniture, the survey investigates how, where and when young people wish so as to inform businesses about the workplace attributes essential in the recruitment and retention of young people.

Already supported by BBC, BP and Cisco, the survey is looking to partner with companies and academic institutions in Asia with the aim of comparing and contrasting young people's choices on a global scale. According to creator of the survey, Dr. Marie Puybaraud, Director of Global WorkPlace Innovation at Johnson Controls, corporate sponsors and endorsers can also use the online survey technology for their own purposes. For example, rather than simply buying the whole report in aggregate, those corporates who become more actively (and financially) involved can pull out data from a single location, industry sector, or even their own company.

This could be particularly useful for companies employing large numbers of workers, says Puybaraud, for example in a call centre, where competition for staff is tough. Before moving or upgrading offices the all staff could be surveyed and facilities, location and design decisions could be weighed against responses. While the online survey is marketed towards the younger generations, having responses by the more experienced office worker will only add to the depth of the data, she says. RFP