By: Kevin Gardner
July 2, 2020
By now, you’ve heard the importance of being eco-friendly. Making changes like going paperless, recycling, and reducing energy consumption are essential for reducing your carbon footprint. Individuals and businesses alike should be striving to make more sustainable, green choices.
While eco-friendliness is essential for a healthier environment, going green does have some other enticing benefits. One such benefit is that it can increase the productivity of your employees. Here’s how.
Promotes Employee Health and Wellness
Many of the ways you make your office greener have a direct impact on the health and wellness of your employees. One such way is the use of green cleaners. Conventional cleaners are more than just bad for the environment, They use harsh chemicals that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs. Exposure to these chemicals can lead to long-term health issues. Green cleaners use natural, biodegradable ingredients, which are better for the environment and your employees.
Another way that increases the eco-friendliness of your office and improves the health of your employees include introducing more natural light. Exposure to natural light boosts vitamin D, wards off depression, and helps to regulate the natural circadian rhythm.
When employees are healthy, they take fewer sick days. As a result, they (and your office in general) are more productive.
Boosts Employee Morale
Green offices tend to provide a more pleasant work environment overall. A more pleasant environment is tied to overall satisfaction. Happy employees are more motivated, and therefore more productive.
Many offices lack color, which has an impact on happiness. The addition of plants (which provides color) has been shown to make people happier and more productive. One study found that adding plants can boost productivity by up to 15%.
Plants do more than boost happiness. Several varieties may help to improve air quality as well. Some plants to consider adding to your office include:
- Spider plants.
- Weeping figs.
- Peace lilies.
- Boston ferns.
- Snake plants.
Along with natural light, the addition of plants also helps to boost creativity. More creative individuals are less likely to get stuck on tasks, which helps to increase their productivity.
Increases Cognitive Thinking
Greener offices have been shown to improve thought processing, problem-solving, and decision-making skills of employees. In fact, studies show that offices with green credentials can boost cognitive thinking up to 26%. When your employees can think better, they’re able to work more efficiently. As a result, more gets done.
How to Make Your Office Eco-Friendly
Looking for ways to green your office and boost the productivity of your employees? Here are a few ideas to implement.
Use Alternative Energy
With alternative energy sources, you reduce your reliance on traditional electricity. When you install Albany solar panels, for instance, your office (and all of the equipment inside) is run by the power of the sun. Depending upon the size of your office and the number of panels you install, you may even be able to eliminate your need for traditional electricity altogether. Not only does that help the environment, but it also saves your office a lot of money.
Power Down at the End of the Day
Don’t leave electronics running overnight. Instead, shut down your electronics at the end of the day. You can even take it one step further and unplug everything before you go home.
Let the Outside In
As shown above, natural light and office plants are excellent for both the environment and for productivity. Open up the curtains during the day and let in as much natural light as possible. Purchase plenty of plants and encourage your employees to bring some for their desks as well.
Create a “Green Team”
Get your employees involved by creating a sustainability team. It’s a great way to get people excited about your green efforts and encourage them to get active. Encourage the team to brainstorm more ideas to increase the eco-friendliness of your office, educate their co-workers, and monitor all green policies.
Creating an eco-friendly office environment doesn’t just benefit the environment. It also increases your employees’ productivity, which boosts your business. You work to help the environment and increase your success at the same time.