forward , and 21 % want to work entirely remote . With the potential of 10 times the number of employees working from home each day , the opportunity for cost and waste savings is significant , says Joe Karbowski , CTO of
FM : Systems , a digital workplace management company .
“ When you look at that number on things like reduced carbon output from people staying at home , reduced building costs , reduced waste generation ... it gives you an opportunity to make decisions at a scale that was previously not moving the needle ,” he says .
More than a
dozen peer-reviewed studies have confirmed that employees prefer working for organizations that
take environmental sustainability seriously . In fact , according to a recent
study conducted by GHD , a global professional services advisory firm , 30 % of Americans indicated their employer ’ s sustainability practices impacted their decision about whether to work for them , and they would consider green credentials when choosing a future employer .
This transition opens up new possibilities for sustainable business practices , enabling organizations to dramatically change their consumption patterns , reduce their environmental footprint , equip employees with tools that are better for productivity and the planet , and appeal to worker preferences in an increasingly competitive labor market .
A win-win-win opportunity Improving sustainability through the transition to hybrid work provides benefits for employers , employees , and the environment , all at the same time . That ’ s because many of the systems , measures , and technologies that create a better hybrid work experience also enable more-efficient management of physical office resources , from smarter use of space to conservation of energy and water .
Kearney , a management consulting firm .
Doshi encourages organizations to define their sustainability targets , ensure leaders are aligned , and determine how they ’ ll measure their progress . “ Anybody who ’ s doing it has to first determine what the goal is — whether it ’ s to do the best you can , or if you want to be industry leading ? Do you want to have a zero-carbon footprint ? With or without offsets ? And in what time frame ? All that has to be defined ,” he says .
Manufacturer 3M , for example , said earlier this year
it is set to spend $ 1 billion to fast-track its sustainability initiatives , with funds earmarked for its long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and to increase its commitment to renewable energy and the reduction of water usage at its facilities .
Realizing the potential benefits of adapting to hybrid work — where work is conducted in the space that best suits the task at hand — brings with it an opportunity to adopt an “ only-what-we-need-whenwe-need-it ” approach to resources , ranging from power to square footage .
“ We ’ re now basing facilities decisions on utilization , not head count ,” says Laura DelaFuente , Global Director of Workplace Experience at HP . “ We ’ re creating more choice for employees , including multifunctional areas that can be adapted to meet their needs .”
In some cases , that could mean moving walls to turn individual cubicle space into open collaboration areas , or incorporating
movable , adjustable office furniture that employees can reconfigure as necessary . Organizations may also choose to eliminate personal workspaces altogether and replace them with
hot desks , or shared workstations that employees can reserve for use when they ’ re in the office . HP recently announced a
collaboration with ROOM for a prefabricated office space that is purpose-built for hybrid workplaces . They will be outfitted with an HP Collaboration All-in-One PC and webcam pre-installed with Zoom Rooms software , a sit / stand desk , a whiteboard , and optimal lighting for videoconferencing . The walls are made from recycled PET ( polyethylene terephthalate , a plastic resin ) engineered to reduce outside noise .
Smart facilities that conserve resources A range of technologies can help companies pinpoint what resources they need , when and where they need them , increasing efficiency and conservation . This includes a number of
solutions that use Wi-Fi connectivity combined with sensors to determine how rooms and offices are being used ,
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