CAPITAL WATCH

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Designing
workplaces
and buildings
to support
people’s
wellbeing
makes
business
sense – as
even a
modest
improvement
in employee
wellness, can
have a huge
financial
implication
for employers
We have for far too long been
ignoring the 90 percent; we spend
90 percent of our time indoors
and 90 percent of opex is typically
attributed to people costs, so
designing workplaces and buildings
to support people’s wellbeing makes
business sense – as even a modest
improvement in employee wellness,
can have a huge financial implication
for employers – one that is many
times larger than any financial
savings associated with an efficiently
designed and operated building.
It is clear to see in the example
below where the value of two
productive hours is the same as the
annual cost of real estate.
The World Green Building
Council has developed a simple
framework to help companies take
action and create healthier offices:
The framework assesses key
environmental factors which affect
health and wellbeing, surveys
employees to find out how they
experience them, and measures the
economic factors they influence, such
as productivity, absenteeism and
medical costs.
The report identifies eight key
factors in creating healthier and
greener offices which can impact on
the bottom line.
* Total salary cost per year
** Value of 1 hour of productive time per year
*** Building and management costs per year
Looks and
feels like a
great place
to work
PEOPLE
(£35m)*
Brand &
Values
Enables
people to do
their best
work and
support
wellbeing
Supports
cost
reduction
and business
change
PROCESS
(£2.5m)**
Business
Performance
PLACE
(£5m)***
Agility &
Flexibility
The building as a dynamic system
to support business priorities
City of London Occupier
Eight Features that make
Healthier and Greener Offices
Thermal Comfort
Staff performance can fall 6%
if offices are too hot and 4%
if they are too cold.
02
Noise and Acoustics
Noise distractions led to 66%
drop in performance and
concentration.
04
Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation
A well-ventilated office can double
cognitive ability.
01
Biophilia and Views
Processing time at one call centre
improved by 7-12% when staff had
a view of nature.
06
Look and Feel
Colours, textures and materials that
evoke nature; adding houseplants
to an otherwise sparse office
environment can increase well-being
by 47%, increase creativity by 45%
and increase productivity by 38%.
07
Location and Access to Amenities
Public transport accessibility,
provision for bikes, showers, healthy
food and other lifestyle amenities; a
Dutch cycle to work scheme saved
£27m in absenteeism.
08
Interior Layout and Active Design
Flexible working helps staff feel
more in control of workload and
encourages loyalty.
05
Daylighting and Lighting
A study found workers in offices with
windows got 46 minutes more sleep a
night than workers without them.
03
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
10
OPINION