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Key Considerations for the Future Office

BRITA & FMJ Webinar

BRITA’s Rebecca Fairfield, Head of Key Accounts recently took part in an enlightening panel discussion, hosted by Sara Bean, Editor of Facilities Management Journal, exploring the concept of The Sustainable Office.

It was an insightful discussion as Rebecca and Sara were joined by DaeWha Kang, Lead Designer of DaeWha Kang Designs who created The Shard Living Lab and Lucy Hind, Senior Facilities Lecturer at Leeds University, about how facilities managers can prepare for the future.

Although the majority of office workers aren’t back full-time in the office, we’re in a transitional period whereby many are following a hybrid model to ensure they’re getting the benefits of being in the office - but in a supportive and safe environment. Whilst the Brita’s H2O Home To Office report played a big part in the session, we’ve pulled together our key takeaways from all of the experts:

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Office Design - the three Cs

DaeWha Kang pointed out the three most important aspects to consider when it comes to the workplace and design - Congregation, Collaboration and Culture. “These are the things that are difficult to do over Zoom but if you incorporate these into your office space you’ll provide a sense of place for your team”.

“If you incorporate a feeling of quality and beauty into the workspace, it will make going to the office feel more like a luxury than a chore”.

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​​​​​​​The Office Space

Lucy Hind also pointed out that “The whole world of ‘the office’ is changing quite dramatically and will continue to change over the coming years as we move from a space-focused environment to a human-focused one”.

This fits in with the future office becoming a mindful office, whereby space is considered more carefully and allocated not just for work. There’s more of a move to incorporate spaces for rest and relaxation, exercise, socialising, comfort and even nature.

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Sustainability is Key

As Sara Bean pointed out, our research found that sustainability now tops the agenda for 80% of workers and Rebecca added that “the facilities management industry has been quietly innovating in sustainability over recent years, not just with plastic reduction but on my various client visits I’ve seen the introduction of ‘keep cups’ and recycling programmes for coffee grounds”.

It’s these small efforts that will have a big impact on sustainability and Rebecca added that “there’s a significant link between sustainability and wellbeing in the office. It’s enabling that feeling of pride of being a part of something good, something that’s helping the planet. I’ve also seen organisations incorporate health, fitness and sustainability by challenging it’s team to use the stairs rather than take the lifts”.

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Hydration, health and sustainability go hand in hand

Keeping hydrated plays a key role in maintaining health and wellbeing, so it’s important to provide access and create spaces that provide great tasting filtered water to boost hydration. 
BRITA VIVREAU’s water dispensers offer a sustainable, hygienic, and flexible way to enjoy freshly chilled, filtered water. The natural refrigerant used in our dispensers offers powerful cooling technology, without the need for shipping, storing and refrigerating individual plastic bottles, immediately creating cost-savings.

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Create a Safe Space

Our findings have shown that people do want to return to the office but they do want to feel safe and secure, so hygiene, cleanliness and safety are still paramount. Plus, office workers still want the flexibility, we’ve learnt that people can work from so we need to support teams with options.

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