Going green isn’t limited to just
meeting energy ratings and best practices. You can also go green by
creating a conducive work environment. This is the recommendation
from various authorities on building design, alluding to the increase
in demand for a better workplace with workers’ comfort in mind.
Design, however, is just one aspect of better building strategies to
enhance workplace efficiency and workers’ satisfaction.
While the rating system of the
Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sets the
standard for greener buildings, something basic to any worker’s
heart needs just as much attention. Workplace comfort and turnover
rate have an indirect—and linear relationship. Discomfort leads to
pain, which, in turn, leads to loss of focus and low productivity—and
in the end, concludes in job termination or resignation.
Design and building experts, in
fact, agree on this relationship. Angela Loder, adjunct professor at
the University of Denver, says that quality of materials form one of
three key components in green building research. This (quality) not
only refers to office furnishings emitting volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), but also to those that break after a few twists and turns.
Therefore, as office manager, you
only want what’s best for your employees. Denver office furniture,
for instance, has taken steps to design sustainable furniture, such
as Haworth's award-winning Zody task chairs. Made with 51 percent
recycled content, the Zody features a patented lumbar and pelvic
support system, which was designed based on physical therapy
research.
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