Doing The Right Thing

As working for an organisation that makes a positive impact on the world becomes more and more important we look at how, here at Workspace, we're doing our bit

According to research by consultancy Global Tolerance, 42% of the workforce want to work for an organisation that has a positive impact on the world. In fact, meaningful and rewarding work was considered more important than a higher salary for many of the people they surveyed back in 2015, and today is no different. A quick Google shows that people are choosing where they work based on their values and not just their pay slip.

Companies like Envision Kindness are on a mission to challenge negativity and help people find happiness (it’s often simpler than we think) and that definitely extends to our working lives. Being employed somewhere that cares for not only its employees’ welfare, but the environment and other communities too can be fantastically rewarding.

Here at Workspace we work a little differently and we certainly strive to make our spaces somewhere people love to be in. We make sure to keep tackling the issue of work life balance, because we know how important it is to have good mental health as well as physical. We care about our environment and our people and we are always looking for new and exciting ways to do the right thing.

But what does that really mean? Well, for us, it all links back to our #DoingTheRightThing strategy. It’s our way of making a commitment to always try and do the best we can when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment and creating a happy and healthy workplace.

How do we do this?

Well, for starters, Workspace is a member of the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) and under our #DoingTheRightThing strategy we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our properties. From a social point of view, we aim to ensure our spaces create healthy and productive communities, we want people to enjoy where they go to work every day.

Workspace believe in the power of building strong local communities and being part of the day to day in the neighbourhood. We like to get involved in local charity work and projects that help to make the area a better place for people to live and work.

We play to our strengths by making sure the buildings we run are fantastic places to do business and work. By including break out spaces, outdoor areas you can relax or connect in and plenty of amazing places to grab a bite, we hope that our customers and visitors feel relaxed. If you fancy checking out what we’re talking about, our Instagram is fab place to start.

Good for the environment

In 2016, we increased our Carbon Disclosure Project score from 98B to A- (scoring methodology has changed this year to a single letter score). Scores were based on disclosure, awareness, management and leadership with regards to carbon management and climate change risk so we’re proud of this achievement.

Following the successful trial at The Light Bulb, Grand Union Studios and Barley Mow Centre, the new Optergy Building and Energy Management System has also been installed in our latest refurbishment, The Record Hall. The system will enable our Facilities Managers to control the building remotely and review detailed energy consumption profiles, helping us to manage our systems more intelligently and efficiently. We have been billing customers using readings from the new system, and will soon launch customer logins which will allow them to view their energy profiles directly, giving them more control over their consumption. We want to give them the power to make sure they’re doing what they can for the environment too.

All for a good cause

One of the key objectives under our #DoingTheRightThing strategy is to provide opportunities for Workspace employees to support the wider community through fundraising and volunteering initiatives. During the year, members of our team carried out 48 volunteering days and along with customers and raised a whopping £31,489 for our selected charity partners and at Parkhall Business Centre in Dulwich, the Centre Manager, Nick Bright, has introduced clothing recycling bins for Scope, collecting 671kg worth of clothing during the year.

We love hearing from our customers that they are keen to have a positive impact on their communities and the environment, and we will always try to work with them wherever possible. This year, we have focused on reducing the amount of waste produced at our business centres and launched a series of waste roadshows at several properties to educate and engage our customers on the importance of recycling.

At one event, held at The Light Box in Chiswick, 55 customers took to our energy bicycle and used pedal-power to drive a blender, creating their own healthy and delicious smoothies. We used the opportunity to talk to people about their recycling strategies, and 50 left with new recycling bins in their hands. The recycling rate at The Light Box rose from 60% to 80% since the roadshow – we are very impressed!

Pass it on

In February 2017, Workspace once again ran the 5th consecutive annual >InspiresMe Week, providing 79 students with four days’ work experience in 55 of our customers’ businesses. The programme was hugely successful in showing the students that they don’t have to limit themselves to traditional career progression in order to make a difference and enjoy work. We also got involved with World Youth Skills Day because we know how important young talent is!

We want to continue to do the right thing across our business and we have lots more success stories to share with you. If you have an idea for our #DoingTheRightThing strategy, please get in touch.

If you have a business that you’d love to run from one of our fantastic properties, why not find your Workspace, today? Click here!