Tech, Flex, or Plants--Which Offers the Most Value?
Workplace strategies and forecasts for the new year are in! The built environment experts at Stok and Greenbuild explore the value of various factors that influence employee productivity. Their latest papers delve into Virtual Collaboration Technology, Flexibility in Work Hours, Employees Connections to Nature, and more. The impacts were surprising–some offering more merit to a company’s budget than others. Is your business on the right track? Here’s what the data says about where companies should spend and save in the upcoming year:
Where to Spend in 2024: Buildings that prioritize healthy spaces bring the greatest return-on-investment (ROI) in productivity.
The people at Greenbuild cited a Stanford University study that found a person’s immediate environment plays a bigger role in determining the state of their immune system than genes. [1] Furthermore, buildings that emphasize healthy spaces can create significant returns in a worker’s performance and a reduction in sick days. Using biophilic design options that provide staff with a way to connect to nature minimizes employee stress. [1]
Greenbuild continues its report and finds indoor air quality is top ranking when meeting the “S” (social) objectives of ESG. [1]. Along with privacy, air quality is essential for high-performing businesses to attract investors, clients, and talent. Two ways to prioritize healthy indoor air quality are with a row of floor plants or a mobile living wall. Each will create separation in open spaces while eliminating airborne toxins.
Indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, a phenomenon that has increased due partly to synthetic building materials, furnishings, and cleaners… —Greenbuild
Similarly, the team at Stok points out that another biophilic design option–providing natural light and window views–has proven to decrease stress in the workplace. [2] If a renovation to add windows to your office is outside the budget, adding indoor plants is an alternate and cost-effective biophilic design solution. This allows occupants to connect to nature in their workspace, providing a 3:1 return on investment through greater employee output.
…the integration of plants and greenery into the workplace results in productivity gains and reduced psychological stress. —Terrapin Bright Green
Where to Save in 2024: Compared with allocating resources to a building’s healthy spaces, survey results showed Flexibility of Work Hours, the Office Hoteling option, and other innovative solutions have limited value, and should be re-examined.
Flexibility in work hours is a strategy gaining momentum, requiring effective management and trusting relationships. Although increased flexibility in work hours was ranked as an impactful aspect of productivity in Stok’s “Evolution of the Workplace” report, it was the only one of the Top 5 to have the potential for a negative impact on productivity. [2]
Of the Top 5 metrics for building occupant well-being, Connecting with Nature is #1, with a 62% “High Positive Impact”—Stok
Findings on the trend of Hoteling in offices put it at the bottom of survey results. Employees’ perspectives on sharing spaces and the lack of ownership within the workplace negatively impacted their work volume. [2] The strategy of staff reserving desk space may already be outdated, and resources shifted towards a more thoughtful design with biophilia–where indoor foliage supports staff well-being–is recommended.
Stok’s research confirmed that investing in Touchless Technology was determined to be low-performing with limited value towards health, or productivity. Simultaneously, Virtual Collaboration Technology was a runner-up to investing in biophilic options for increased productivity. [2] It’s worth noting that where access to nature also made the Top 5 Investments for Employee Retention and the Top 5 Investments of Well-being, technology predictably did not make either of those lists. [2]
Employees with a view of plants had increased concentration by 19%, compared to employees in a room without visible greenery. — GPGB.
Are you investing more in tech, or flex, or plants? Studies reveal that the most significant financial impact a company can have is by focusing on a built environment that promotes the health of its occupants. Employees who connect with nature in their workplace–specifically natural light and indoor plants–have increased creativity and concentration. It’s time to re-think where to invest your dollars in the workplace and consider what your personnel truly need to be more productive–and your company to be more profitable.
[1] Greenbuild: O&M Meets ESG: Optimizing Your Buildings for Impact
[2] STOK: High Performance Buildings and the Evolution of the Workplace
