The term 'going green' is something we’re all familiar with.
There are many initiatives out there that work to create a more sustainable way of doing things, and those initiatives can extend to creating a green office!
Creating a green office is not only possible – sustainable and modern workplaces are important. They can have an incredibly positive impact on the environment as well as the engagement of employees in the workplace.
Nowadays, employees want to work for companies that value corporate, social, and environmental responsibility. They are even more likely to be engaged with the organization they work for in a green office environment as the initiatives are known to motivate and inspire them.
You might reward employees for their contributions in supporting sustainability at the office and get them to participate in celebrating it. You can get everyone on board and motivate them to become involved through workplace initiatives. This might be with something like a bike to work challenge, or ‘no waste’ challenge.
The impact a green office can have on employees is substantial, which is the cherry on top of the work it does to support the environment.
There’s no question that having a green office is a step towards the future, and to creating a better workplace for all. Here we give you 6 of our best ideas for creating a green office!
A great place to start in creating a green office is simply by making it a habit to switch off the lights and power at the end of each day or when not in use. Making this a common employee practice can do wonders for helping to save energy on lighting, heating, and air conditioning.
You might also consider automatic lights that switch on and off with an activated sensor and timer. Replacing fluorescent lights with energy-efficient lights can help conserve energy and save money. When in doubt – try to use natural light!
Computers are a great place to save on energy as well, as you can enable sleep modes and power-saving features to reduce power consumption when not in use.
Forget the one and done use of boxes and packaging! Make it a team effort to keep used packaging for future use, rather than getting rid of it.
Replace the common disposable products found in office kitchens with green reusable solutions. Sets of plates, utensils and glassware can have a similar, if not less expensive, cost comparison to single-use versions.
If you must use a printer, you can help to reduce the waste of paper by printing on both sides of the paper as the default option as well.
Place recycling bins throughout common areas, or even at individual workspaces for maximum use. It will be important to have proper signage throughout your office as well in order to add an encouraging visual element for employees to recycle. The more this messaging is in front of them, the more likely they are to follow the rules.
If your workplace supplies cold drinks to employees, try to use cans over glass drink containers whenever possible. Aluminum is fantastic for recycling purposes over glass.
Wasting water is a major challenge for many workplaces. Low-flow toilets are a great option for helping to conserve water. Toilets are typically the biggest source of water waste in office environments.
Low-flow faucets are another option for bathroom and kitchen sinks that are known to be wasteful. The flow of water is better controlled and can be greatly reduced.
Maybe it’s working from home every once in a while, or perhaps it’s shifting work hours to four work days of the week instead of five. Taking away some of your employees' commute time can help to save on gas emissions and help to improve air quality.
Reduced time in the office also means for reduced use of office energy. You can cut costs for the company and for employee travel as well!
You can take your green office initiatives even one step further by going paperless with a digital visitor management system! Sign-in visitors, monitor time, and attendance, all without the need for paper with our sign-in app.
There is no need to have queues waiting to use sign-in sheets, no more risks to security, and most importantly, less waste which makes for a greener office environment.
Sine can also help with digitising induction and compliance processes for contractor management such as document collection and verification. You can display non-disclosure agreements, fire evacuation diagrams or health and safety processes that you need visitors to see.
This helps to reduce, or even completely take away the need for paperwork which is a major plus to implementing a green office.
Looking to get started on creating a better, more modernized, and green office? Sine is here to help. Implement transformative technologies that are sure to have a positive impact on the environment and your employees today.
