Gen Y’s Green Demands for the Workplace

The 18- to 25-year-olds just entering, or poised to enter, the workforce aren’t likely to be satisfied with shared “hotel-style” desk assignments, drab cubicles or windowless spaces that have characterized offices in the past, according to new research that could strongly influence space and energy efficiency strategies in the corporate world.

Based on a new study by Johnson Controls Inc.study, employers can also expect that Gen Y:

Wants their jobs to be located in an urban area within an easy commute by foot, public transportation or by car. In the U.S., 79 percent said they prefer to work in an urban setting, 51 percent they’d get there by car (and for 34 percent that would be a hybrid vehicle) 18 percent would walk,15 percent would use public transit and 9 percent said they’d use a motorcycle or scooter.

Doesn’t want a home-based work environment, although the group is highly connected via the Internet and high-tech gadgetry and could easily tap into work from home. “They want a place to go, and once they’re there, they want their own desk and they want to be able to personalize it,” said Puybaraud, noting that a large vast majority of Gen Y’ers want a desk they can call their own and less than a fifth would be happy sharing.

Wants office space to support collaboration, productivity and creativity. Forty-one percent said they’d prefer access to a team space, such as an area dedicated to their work group, and 32 percent said they prefer breakout spaces over conventional meeting rooms that are used by various work groups and usually need to be booked. Sixty-one percent want to work in natural light or with a combination of natural and artificial lighting.

Wants to be able to “see and feel the greenness in their workplace and mere compliance isn’t enough,” Puybaraud said.

Although 26- to 35-year-olds and 36-to-45-year-olds edged out Gen Y’ers on some environmental questions, Gen Y responses were strong on environmental issues. Ninety-six percent said they want an “environmentally aware or friendly workplace” and 57 percent said they want their employers to perform well above regulatory compliance. For the two previous 10-year age bands, 98 percent said they want “environmentally aware or friendly workplace” and 67 to 74 percent said they want their employers to be overachievers in compliance.

The study provided further data on the green elements Gen Y wants to see at work: 70.3 percent said there should be recycling bins, 47.4 percent want water-saving fixtures and devices, 52.7 percent said stand-by modes or devices are musts for all electrical equipment, 71.6 percent said office printers should be shared, and 47 percent said solar panels should be on site.

“[Gen Y] preferences for an environmentally focused working environment are very strong; not only in the physical aspects of the workplace, but also in their way of working: flexible working, travel patterns, etc.,” said the report.

Noting that all generations are looking for a “green deal at work,” the report recommended that employers:

Go beyond minimum environmental compliance.

Provide ample evidence of green solutions in the workplace.

Embrace green policies in day-to-day operations as well as through initiatives.

The findings are both interesting and challenging in that virtually every data point touches on steps and strategies related to sustainability, even though the survey questions aren’t obviously posed as green subjects.JCI Gen Y Chart - Green Question

Bottom line, the report said, Generation Y is “full of contradictions … They think like entrepreneurs and value relationships, are tech savvy and creative, and are environmentally conscious and mobile. They will in the future place a high premium on job security and they apparently currently job-hop. They are value driven and money-grabbing (due to being saddled with high student loans). They are conservative and non-conformist.”

For businesses looking for constant point in interpreting Gen Y at work, Puybaraud said: “At the end of the day, the thing to remember is that for them going to work is an experience … and extension of themselves … and part of their overall life experience.” And smart employers will find ways to integrate that contemporary view into a traditional workplace.

Source: GreenBiz.com