In the wake of the massive ‘work from home’ movement brought on by necessity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses are now finally able to return to some semblance of normality. As such, we believe that now is as good a time as any to start thinking about investing in that much-needed office renovation you’ve always dreamt about.
The fact is, it’s been a very strange and stressful few years and while most people are happy to finally get out of their houses and get back to the office, some workers can’t help but notice how much easier and more convenient things were when they were able to carry out their hard and heavy duties from the comfort of their own home.
This is one of the main driving factors behind the surge in office renovations world-wide: employers recognising the need to create comfortable, well-optimised, and stress-free working environments for their valued employees to return to.
But, there are other important factors to consider as well, they are very hot topics right now, such as global warming, those hurricane and natural disaster happening because of the rapidly changing of weather also the gargantuan hike in energy costs that is taking place all over the news.
In this article, we’re going to explore these issues in greater depth and highlight the many advantages of investing in an office transformation with eco-friendly and sustainable design in mind. Here’s everything you need to know…
Transforming your office to create a safe, comfortable, and more productive working environment
By this point you may be wondering how or why now could be considered as the perfect time for an office renovation – particularly if your business struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are a few touch points we are going to elaborate on, for your consideration:
- When executed well, a quality office renovation is an investment that will yield an attractive ROI.
- Enhancing your employees’ working environment is key to not only attracting, but retaining the best talent.
- A freshly renovated office will provide your business with a wide variety of advantages – particularly when it comes to employees’ morale, satisfaction, and productivity (more on that shortly).
Yes, an office renovation is no small investment and during such uncertain times it can definitely seem like an unnecessary expense. However, when planned and executed well, you can leverage a great number of benefits – including making a healthy return on that investment.
The same applies to retaining the talent that you already have working for you. The ‘work from home’ movement has really shaken things up and encouraged many workers to evaluate their lives and think more about their prospects. If you wish to keep your best talent on board, and indeed attract new talent, then upgrading your office to accommodate their needs is critical. It demonstrates the fact that you value your employees and wish to create as comfortable a working environment as possible – and one that they will be happy to turn up to every day.
And of course, with everybody feeling burned out and looking for a fresh start, having a newly transformed office to thrive in certainly can’t hurt, can it?
We’ll talk more on the various other benefits that an office renovation can bring your business later, but first, let’s take a quick look at the need for eco-friendly and sustainable design.
Investing in an office renovation with eco-friendly and sustainable design in mind
As touched on earlier, with global warming being one of the direst and urgent issues going on in the world today, taking the necessary steps to reduce your carbon footprint and essentially ‘do your part’ has never been more important.
Not only is this great for your brand image and gaining some extra points with your clients and customers, but your employees will value your efforts as well.
But, of course, you have a business run – so aside from the warm and fuzzies, what are the practical and financial benefits of an eco-friendly office renovation?
Let’s talk about the terrifying and exponential rise in energy prices:
“The World Bank’s energy price index increased by 26.3% between January and April 2022, on top of a 50% increase between January 2020 and December 2021.”
Many businesses all over the world are already feeling the sting of the rise in energy costs and from what we can see, it’s only going to get worse. This is why we believe that now is the perfect time to invest in a green and eco-friendly office renovation; to build an energy-efficient office that can function sustainably, without costing you an absolute fortune.
There are so many eco-friendly changes that can be made in your office that can both help to keep your utility bills down, while doing your part for the environment. It’s a win-win and one that your annual budget will surely thank you for!
What are the benefits of a green office renovation?
If you following attractive benefits aren’t enough to pique your interest, then nothing will:
- Improve efficiency: a renovation allows you to re-think the layout of your space, thus allowing you to improve the overall flow and efficiency. It’s also a great time to invest in new, high-quality equipment to speed up certain processes.
- Bolster morale: a new, freshly renovated office is a sure way to bolster employee morale and give them a new sense of pride and ownership over their space. This is particularly important in a post-COVID world where many of them have spent months working from home and may feel homesick when returning to the office.
- Increase productivity: not only does the increase of morale make your employees feel happier at work, but it is also proven to increase their overall productivity levels as well. If you want a workforce that works harder and more efficiently, you can’t go wrong with a well-optimised office renovation.
- Attract new clients and customers: as the face of your business, having a freshly renovated office can speak volumes to your prospective clients and customers. It also speaks volumes about how well you run your business and demonstrates that you are doing well financially and very much intend to stick around for good! Additionally, doing so will allow you to show off and share your renovation progress with your social media followers and demonstrate your authority with a spanking new work environment.
- Room for growth: re-optimising the layout of your office can enable you to create new workspaces allowing you to grow and take on additional staff.
- Implement functional spaces: whether you want to create extra offices or boardrooms, when planning an office renovation, you can account for additional installations.
- Better health & safety: from getting rid of old equipment and furniture that has been subject to wear and tear, to adding plenty of greenery to improve the quality of oxygen and reduce dust levels in your office, a renovation is great for health & safety. We highly recommend investing in ergonomic furniture for your employees – their backs’ will appreciate the extra lumbar support!
- Reduced energy consumption: from switching to solar power and changing to LED lights, to offering your employees tangible incentives for reducing the amount of paper and stationary they waste, renovating your office—with a focus on sustainability—can have a huge impact on the amount of energy you consume.
LEED-ing the way for eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable design and construction
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is one of the most widely used green building rating systems today. They are (quite literally) leading the way and setting a new, recognised standard for the design, construction, and operation of modern businesses.
With the LEEDS certification under your belt, you will be able to lower your energy consumption costs, reduce your carbon footprint, and signal to eco-conscious clients and customers that yours is a business worth investing in – because you are investing in our collective future.
Want to learn more?
If you are interested in exploring the idea of an eco-friendly office renovation further, please do not hesitate to contact us today. We’d be delighted to work with you!