Creating a sustainable workplace is about making your office run efficiently and sustainably. That means a reduced carbon footprint, less waste, and a greater sense of ownership over your company. Like most businesses, you probably doing at least one thing to be more sustainable. Maybe you using LED light bulbs, or recycling used coffee grounds. But how can you use sustainability to make your workplace more efficient? What are the biggest ways to reduce waste and improve your business productivity? This blog is a guide to sustainable business practices.
Use eco-friendly lighting options with plenty of natural light
Having ample natural light in the office is obviously the best way to make your workplace environmentally friendly. Not only that, but natural light also makes you happier, causing your body to produce endorphins, which improve your mood and your overall health. Natural light is an energy-saving, cost-effective choice for lighting. Natural light from windows reduces the need for electric lights and uses less energy. Plus, it makes employees feel better and more at ease. Changing your office lighting to be more eco-friendly may seem like a hassle, but it will save you money in the long run. Choosing the latest LED lights for your office can help you save on energy and the Earth.
Implement a timeless design
Creating a sustainable workplace is a big step for any company. A sustainable workplace needs to focus on the environment and the people who will be working in the building. Creating a sustainable workplace can be done by implementing a timeless design. This design will help the workplace evolve without changing the layout as often. A timeless design will also help the building to have a unique, one-of-a-kindĀ feel that will attract and retain employees.
Make it a culture
Making things into a culture is one of the best ways to ensure people are going to stick to it. It is not something that you can just write down on a single post and expect to be used for the rest of the company’s existence. It is a process that needs to be in place from the start. If you starting a new company, you need to make sure that the way your employees practice sustainability will be used for years to come.
It is something that needs to be constantly reinforced, and the process of reinforcing it needs to be built into the company culture. If you have an existing company and are worried about changing the culture, know that it is not something you can do overnight. It will take a lot of effort on the company’s part to ensure that everyone is getting along and working towards the same goals. It is something that going to take a lot of effort and time, especially if your company is a large one.
Add more plants and landscaping to the outdoors
Most workplaces are full of cubicles and office buildings. Many of which have hardly any nature around them. However, adding plants to your outdoor areas and landscaping can have a major impact on your workers and their productivity. Adding more plants to your outdoor areas can actually increase your worker’s productivity by up to 15%. That is because there is a link between the number of natural and green spaces in a city and its productivity. Allistair McCaw, the chief executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, says that green spaces are vital to a city’s health. As well as being beautiful, they improve air and water quality, reduce flooding, and provide habitats for wildlife," he says. Green spaces can also help us to relax and recover from the stresses of modern life.
Go paperless
Paper is one of the most widely used items in our world, but it is also one of the most widely wasted items. Just think about all the papers you have thrown away in your life. Now think about all the times you have faced a pile of papers that must be read and organized. I’m sure you don’t want to waste your time doing that, so stop wasting trees and go paperless. Scan all your papers, convert them into PDFs for reliability using a free PDF editor, and store them on your computer or in the cloud.
If you absolutely need to have paper copies, print on both sides. Going paperless has become a popular trend in the business world. It is helpful to the environment, but it can also save you money. Not having to print paper documents can save you the cost of paper and toner, but it can also save you on the expense of recycling paper. If you are already paperless, consider taking your business a step further and going digital. Taking digital notes and storing them in the cloud is a great way to make sure that you have access. To your notes, no matter where you are or what device you using.
