Transforming the Office From Today’s Work Environments to Eco-Tech

Katie Brenneman continues to write interesting content for the 21st Century Tech Blog. This one focuses on office environments which in the COVID-19 era have in many locales remained pretty empty. Companies are either compelling employees to return or attempting to entice them to stop working remotely. Would making offices more environmentally friendly be an enticement to get reluctant remote workers to come back? Or should we just consider the environmental benefits of transformed workplaces on their physical merits without worrying about who will be returning to them?

Transforming Offices With Sustainable Solutions

Eco-tech companies and their sustainable innovations are finding their way into offices to create a better future. This is notable, since as of 2019, 60% of employees desired a more environmentally friendly office; and this was known before remote work was widely adopted. Luckily, office managers now have the time and the latest sustainable technologies to make this a reality.

Why Create an Eco-conscious Work Environment

Before you start integrating eco-tech into your workspace, be clear about why you are doing it in the first place. There are numerous benefits including:

• A reduced environmental impact; 
• Lower utility costs; 
• Less material waste; 
• Increased productivity; 
• Boosted employee wellness and morale; 
• Better disaster preparedness; 
• Possible tax incentives;
• Higher bottom line; 
• and a favourable public perception.

Social and corporate responsibility should be more than just a declaration of dedication. It must produce tangible results to show consumers, employees, and stakeholders how the company is actively working to reduce its carbon footprint, lower waste, and optimize workflow. Sustainability is crucial for small businesses, especially, to remain competitive and survive. Jumping on the eco-tech revolution, therefore, becomes a way to commit to sustainability and track the results in all aspects of the business. 

What Is Eco-tech?

Workplace eco-tech incorporates technology that is deemed to be environmentally friendly for sustainable production, supply chain, materials, and more. Watch out for purported eco-tech that is greenwashing. This happens with suppliers of technology and services that want to appear environmentally friendly but don’t live up to the standard. By doing due diligence, you can avoid these counterfeit players.

Types of Environmentally Friendly Work Tech Solutions

For those managing the workspace, keep a keen eye on the latest sustainable technology innovations and see how they can apply to your office setting. Here are some of the technologies to consider.

Smart Thermostats

A smart thermostat controls a building’s temperature remotely and automatically. It can be connected to Wi-Fi and is capable of optimizing heating and cooling systems through its intelligent controls. Smart thermostats minimize energy waste and maintain comfortable office environments. They also can track energy usage, provide real-time advice and maintenance reminders, monitor indoor air quality and provide customized settings for different building areas and for different times.

Installing Wi-Fi thermostats in office environments and integrating them with other smart building systems is helping businesses to make substantial energy savings and create more sustainable and healthier workplaces. 

Cloud-based Tech

A 21st-century workplace should be digital. Paper, ink cartridges, and storage space are contributors to waste and environmental degradation. A switch to the cloud is typically considered eco-friendly with no need to invest in and operate local data storage centres. Keeping data in the cloud optimizes access, secures information, and minimizes a business’s carbon footprint by eliminating local energy use for data storage. And when choosing cloud-based providers find ones that power their data centres using renewable energy. 

Electric Vehicles

While not technically in the office, workplace commutes can be more sustainable with the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). There are great eco advantages to using EVs as company vehicles or for fleet operations doing deliveries and pickups. Companies that offer employee leases can make them all EVs. The advantage of this external to the office EV adoption is the incentive it provides to employees to be in the office. Operationally, running with a fleet of EVs means lower maintenance, fuel costs, and zero tailpipe emissions.

In considering EVs make sure you invest or have access to charging stations. EVs have been priced above the average vehicle on the market, but the growing number of choices, and the continuing decline in sticker price is making this option more attractive. Make sure whatever you lease or purchase that it is reliable. And, if considering used EVs, check that the battery in the vehicle can still hold a charge within the specifications offered.

ENERGY STAR Products

An eco upgrade to the office coffee and kitchen room, the lighting, signage, computers, monitors, printers, copiers and network devices should qualify as ENERGY STAR appliances. The ENERGY STAR rating acknowledges that the device or appliance meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Canada standards for energy efficiency and environmental impact. A business can even earn ENERGY STAR certification and display this on entrances, windows, and the devices and appliances themselves.

A Greener Future at Work

After doing all this you may be able to entice back many of those remote workers who abandoned the workplace during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, clients and the public can learn about how the company’s commitment to creating energy-efficient, comfortable, and sustainable workplaces is contributing to mitigating climate change. That should make the eco-tech investments soon pay for themselves.