Be Green In Workplace - 12/09/2007
However, when it comes to the workplace, officebroker.com believes that more should be done to encourage sustainable working practices.
With a quarter of UK workers clocking up more than 48 hours per week, more than any other wealthy nation many of us spend more time in the office than we do at home.
The company is in a unique position as it has access to thousands of office workers and businesses across the country and on the back of its findings has pledged to take a stand and encourage Britain's office workers to adopt a range of environmentally friendly working practices.
Jim Venables is Managing Director of officebroker.com, the UK's largest online broker of commercial office space which works with more than 97 percent of the UK's serviced office space providers and landlords.
He says: "When it comes to going green in the office, there are plenty of small, straightforward ideas that all of us can adopt to improve our working environments. And we have found that businesses whose employees have embraced environmentally friendly working practices have enjoyed considerable benefits including reduced costs and a closer, communicative workforce."
officebroker.com was founded by entrepreneurs Jim Venables and Andy Haywood five years ago has grown into a multi-million pound enterprise with offices in the UK and US, and plans to launch a division in Hong Kong later this year.
The company offers the following simple tips to anyone keen to make their office a 'greener' space:
- Turn all computer equipment, machinery or other mechanical appliances off when not in use.
- Recycle, reduce and re-use waste. For example, print or photocopy on both sides of paper, recycle envelopes and labels and turn scrap paper into notepads.
- Switch off any unnecessary lighting during the day, particularly near windows or in corridors which do not require bright lighting. Did you know that 80% of the UK's lighting energy is used at work?
- Position desks and workstations to make best use of natural light.
- Ask the last person to leave the office to ensure that they turn everything off including printers, drinks machines, fans, computers and lights, perhaps have a checklist drawn up and posted by the door or alarm control panel.
- Use the stairs instead of the lift, it's a great way to get fit top!
- Consider turning the heating down and wearing warmer clothes in winter. Liaise with healthy and safety staff to tackle over heating caused by poorly maintained equipment or ventilation. Make sure radiators and heaters aren't obstructed and ask your employer to improve insulation.
- Ask colleagues if they would be interested in organising a green travel
- plan. This could include walking in groups, cycling, car sharing etc
- Consider using re-useable items rather than disposable such as china cups and metal cutlery, for example.
- Collect stamps and milk bottle tops for charity
- Use email or notice boards to share information instead of printed memos.
- Ask your employer to buy products with a longer life, such as low energy light bulbs or solar powered calculators and also products which have a recycled or reconditioned content. For furniture, for example, this might mean sourcing timber products from certified, sustainable sources.
- Encourage you employer to choose local products and materials to reduce energy use and pollution.
For further advice visit www.officebroker.com/begreen
Among the many office space providers that officebroker.com works with is Innovate office which has recently launched the UK's 'greenest' office at Thorpe Park in Leeds.
The office, which opened on June 1, 2007, boasts the highest BREEAM rating of any office in the country, and was developed to showcase the commercial viability of sustainable developments and boost awareness of the growing importance of 'green' office space to the commercial sector.
Growing organically, the company has since doubled its profit year on year to become the number one, online office broker in the UK.
