Green buildings and well-being of employees in commercial spaces

Abstract

As recently as forty years ago, the Facilities Management profession was relatively unknown in the built environment industry. Buildings were generally maintained serviced and cleaned. The Facilities Management profession is now one of the fastest growing professions in the UK and as a result, there is a growing list of services to provide, including delivering on environmental commitments and sustainable practices. This research adds to the growing body of literature on the profound effects sustainable buildings can have on its occupants and converts these benefits into financial metrics which benefit both landlords and tenants of commercial buildings. Although there is conclusive evidence of the benefits, there is still a perception that building green does not represent value for money. This paper aims to investigate to what extent facilities managers are responsible for introducing sustainable initiatives that enhance the health well-being and productivity of employees. To achieve this aim, primary data was gathered through face to face interviews with Facilities Management professionals. The findings reveal that although sustainability was viewed as important and is highly valued by most organisations, there are more important priorities to focus on. The results from the interviews found that 100% percent of the organisations who participated had sustainability policies in place and the main drivers for introducing those policies was to comply with legislation and to provide a healthier, more attractive workplace for their employees. Although sustainability and the health, well-being and productivity of employees was a main driver, as well as being embraced and promoted by Facilities Managers, ultimately, they felt that they had more important responsibilities to focus on, hence it did not feature as a priority in their day to day job. This was also identified as one of the main barriers for sustainable Facilities Management to improve, as well as cost, the current skillset and knowledge of Facilities Managers