Companies should measure “quality of life per square foot,” and give their knowledge workers a stronger voice in influencing major changes, including the way workspaces are designed, according to a new position statement by CoreNet Global advocating the quality of working environments and work experiences as a socially responsible corporate practice.

The group’s 7,500+ members directly influence the design and operation of corporate workplaces worldwide.

With as much as 70 percent of the U.S. workforce either not engaged or actively disengaged on the job, the economic and competitive stakes are getting higher, as is the value of human capital.

CoreNet Global is calling on the corporate community to take action steps that will improve their workplaces:

• Holistic, integrated workplace design with open, progressive work spaces designed for the work modes of collaboration, focus, learning and socializing; complemented by telework and other forms of mobile work when the job functions involved are applicable
• Emphasis on sustainable features promoting personal health and wellness, such as:
  • Use of non-toxic and/or reused materials
  • Ergonomically sound furniture and equipment
  • Access to daylight and open views complemented by energy-efficient windows
  • Natural ventilation via mixed-mode conditioning
  • Balanced interior temperature controls
  • High-performance lighting systems
  • Shading, cool roofs and green roofs
  • Water conservation and storm water management
• Incorporation of personal amenities with an eye toward integrated wellness, such as:
  • Flexible work terms and work schedules
  • Introduction of “third places” and “third spaces” as alternatives to the main workplace setting
  • Integration of personal devices with company servers and systems as an extension of the emerging work-life support “eco-system” trending toward employees using their own technology while working, or “BYOT”
  • Fitness centers, walking and running trails
  • Cafeteria, café environments and food services emphasizing healthy options and offerings such as fresh, local foods with programs promoting healthy eating
• Encouraging commuter-carbon footprint reduction through public transit links, transit and/or car pool incentives, bike paths and bike storage

The advocacy statement also recommends that corporate real estate executives shift away from traditional “two-dimensional metrics” for productivity like cost per square foot or revenue per employee. In some companies, a more pronounced partnership is emerging between the CRE and HR sides of the corporate back office.

CoreNet Global therefore advocates that its members work more closely with their counterparts in HR to develop a more quantitative, empirical way to measure productivity around the concept of “Quality of Life per Square Foot.”

NOTE: The “Quality-of-Life per square foot approach” to real estate is a philosophy developed and espoused by Sodexo, a CoreNet Global Strategic Partner. Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance.

With more than 7,500 members internationally, CoreNet Global is the world’s leading professional association for corporate real estate and workplace executives, service providers, and economic developers. Please visit www.corenetglobal.org for more information.

CoreNet Global

CoreNet Global

CoreNet Global is the world's premiere professional association for corporate real estate executives and economic develpment leaders.

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