How A Sustainable Work Environment Increases Productivity

Julie Starr • Apr 13, 2021



Creating a sustainable work environment has become common within the corporate world as it offers businesses numerous benefits . One such benefit is an increase in the business’ overall levels of productivity. A company that operates at high productivity levels is more likely to retain loyal and satisfied customers, content employees, and expand its goal. So, how do greener options positively impact productivity? Here are a few ways.

  • Improves cognition amongst employees

Cognition is the process of acquiring and processing information. This is crucial to improving productivity as it encourages basic comprehension, boosts memory skills, and sharpens one’s evaluation and problem-solving skills. A sustainable environment makes this possible as it eliminates the need for employees to work on time-consuming tasks that would lead to backlogs and stress. 

For example, within a sustainable work environment,  instead of employees spending time on debt management strategies, the business would hire solutions like Improved Data Services to take care of that on its behalf. This leaves employees with more room to take on courses and webinars to expand on their skills. This, in effect, would lead to an increase in productivity as they can work with minimum supervision and produce work of high standards. This is confirmed in the study conducted by Harvard University, which concluded that the cognition rates in a sustainable work environment had increased by 26%.

  • Keeps the workplace safe

A safe workplace breeds happy, healthy, and productive employees. A sustainable workplace ensures that employees are comfortable and safe. Therefore a sustainable office will be designed with this in mind. For example, plants are placed in strategic areas to ensure good ventilation within the workspace. For light, windows that encourage natural light are used. However, these are strategically done to prevent glare and trap the heat generated by the sun. 

Some offices have created rooms for employees to relax and meditate in, ensuring they work at optimum levels without stressing themselves. The furniture in such work environments is sturdy and durable, making it easy for employees to sit while they work comfortably. When a workplace offers sufficient comfort and safety, employees are less irritable and distracted. This allows them to stay focused on completing tasks in time- therefore, increasing productivity. It also increases productivity as it eliminates a reduced workforce’s chances due to health issues associated with the work environment.

  •   Improves workplace morale

When you create a sustainable workplace, you increase workforce morale amongst your employees. Research has shown that by creating a green and safe environment for your employees, you put the message across that you care. This, in turn, makes employees happier to be in the workplace and deliver as expected. A study conducted by the University of Exeter showed that a company’s productivity increased 15% because of the indoor plants in its office space. Happy employees are more motivated to complete and take on new tasks, which leads to increased productivity. It is time to take the right decision for your business and employees by ensuring you have a sustainable work environment.

Keep Your Business Comfortable And Yet Sustainable

By Julie Starr • 11 May, 2024
Keeping your business comfortable and yet sustainable is a great idea. By keeping your business sustainable, you are doing your part for the planet, ensuring that you are doing something to take care of it. A lot of businesses don’t bother with this, but that’s the problem. You need to be different, and work out how you’re going to keep your business comfortable and sustainable at the same time. That’s what we’re going to be working on today, so keep reading if you’re interested in learning more. How Are You Powering Your Locations? The first thing that we’re going to say is that you need to think about how you are powering your locations. Whether it’s a business office, a warehouse, or any other large space, you need to think about the way that you are powering it. If you are using traditional electricity then you’re going to be contributing to part of the problem. We only have so much fossil fuel available, and it’s killing the planet to use. It’s a better idea to use a renewable form of power such as solar or wind, depending on where you live and the weather conditions. Look into this as an option if you can. We’re not saying that you have to completely rely on one or the other, you could use a combination as well as traditional power. Any power that’s coming from somewhere else is a bonus! Keep The Spaces Comfortable For Employees Employees work in a variety of places for your business. Again, perhaps some work in an office, some work in a warehouse, and some work in other locations, but they all need to be kept comfortable. For example, if we take the warehouse and you think about it, it’s not that comfortable, right? You’re not going to have couches and plush chairs all over the place, but you can still make it as comfortable as possible. You could use an industrial drum fan or something similar to keep the space cool, ensuring that your employees are content working there. Ensure Recycling Is A Top Priority The final important point that we want to make is that you should ensure that recycling is a top priority . It has been pushed on people for a long time now, and it’s essential that you are doing this to the best of your ability. Reusing materials wherever possible gives your company a more sustainable approach to business, setting the example for others. Recycling is the very least that you can do, it’s not hard, but it makes a world of difference to the planet. We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing to ensure that your business is comfortable and sustainable. We do understand that for some companies this is going to be a little more difficult than others, but there are always ways if you are dedicated enough. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage going forward.

Is Your Small Business an Appealing Place to Work?

By Julie Starr • 07 May, 2024
Bringing passionate, enthusiastic and talented people into your business is obviously a top priority when you’re growing a company. However, the only way to onboard the brightest talent is by ensuring that your brand is an appealing place to work. Driven employees have certain expectations when it comes to choosing their ideal workplace, so you need to show them what you have to offer. Whether you’re looking into your business ethos , or reassessing certain compensation plans, you can do so much to ensure you’re attracting the best possible employees. Consider some of the following methods and your small business will soon be the go-to place for skilled, driven and talented individuals to work. Pay and Benefits Should Be Competitive When you’re running a small business, the idea of paying regular salaries to your employees will always be on your mind. Keeping up with bills and ever rising costs will never be easy, but you have to offer a competitive salary in order to attract the right type of people to your business. You should also consider all elements of a compensation plan so that your employees always feel valued for their contributions at your workplace. It may be worth talking to your current staff members to see what would be most important to them so you can assess it in the near future. Create a Career Development Plan Working towards the next goal is certainly something that most career driven individuals are keen to do. Staying stagnant in the same role for a prolonged period of time can reduce motivation and cause issues with staff retention. Making sure that there are clear progression opportunities will help to bring in the most talented and focused employees who are willing to put in the work and climb the ladder within your business. Adopt an Eco-Conscious Approach More and more employees are looking for workplaces that put the environment at the forefront and actively choose sustainable processes. Taking care of the planet and going green with your business may help you to align with the right talent for your company. Although this might not be the priority of everyone, it’s certainly a very popular value that a number of people carry in the modern day. Working in an environment where sustainability is a priority is extremely appealing and these people will help you to work alongside like minded colleagues within your business. Your small business goes above and beyond you as an individual; it’s also about the people who work for you and the potential employees you could be onboarding very soon. You can be sure that you’re reaching out to the right type of people and attracting the best possible talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits and working in a sustainable way that always keeps the environment in mind too. Hopefully, these ideas will give you a huge advantage when it comes to bringing in new people who would be an asset to your business.
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