Purpose Matters: How Hybrid Work Can Accelerate Sustainability
The hybrid model, where employees divide their time between a local flexible workspace, a central HQ and home, has become increasingly popular in recent years. This change in work style empowers people to work from a combination of locations driven by strategies to safeguard the business, reduce costs, and enhance resilience in an uncertain political and environmental setting
Public perception towards businesses has changed over the past few years, with the rise of hybrid working exemplifying one of those changes. Workers expect more from their employers, and customers expect more from the companies they buy from.
People want to feel more connected to their local communities, and they want their employers to make a positive impact. According to McKinsey, research a significant number of employees define their life purpose by their work, noting that employees expect their jobs to bring a significant sense of purpose to their lives. Employers need to help meet this need or be prepared to lose talent to companies that will.
Businesses are now more than ever responsible for stepping up their corporate responsibility.
Here are five significant ways your organisation can achieve this:
1. Ensure ethical supply chains and partnerships
A company's ethical stance affects customer and employee loyalty, but it's easy to forget that this extends to who that company does business with. Reviewing your supply chain and ensuring that it's ethical and sustainable is vital to meeting industry-wide sustainability targets and customer and staff expectations.
Demonstrating a commitment to the environment means not only adopting green practices but also choosing the right partners to support those efforts. Embracing a hybrid work model, especially with providers offering carbon-neutral workspaces like IWG, is a proven method to reduce carbon emissions substantially. It's not just about cutting commute-related emissions but also about making informed choices in office energy consumption.
2. Do more for important causes
PwC’s Workforce of the Future survey is among those that corroborate the claim that younger workers want to work for purpose-driven businesses, finding that “88% of them want to work for a company whose values reflect their own”. It stands to reason, then, that your talent attraction and retention can be boosted by talking to your team about what causes they want to support and how.
This offers companies a unique opportunity to integrate social responsibility initiatives into their business models. One approach could be offering a paid day off for volunteering or endorsing apps like Donate or Volunteer at Causes, Charities & NGOs | forgood to encourage and facilitate corporate volunteering.
3. Consider eco pension schemes
Several Environmental advocates, such as the Clean Creatives Pledge, have used social platforms to highlight how leadership can support their staff while helping the environment. This includes to the adoption of eco pensions, which is made possible thanks to a growing range of ESG funds. Robeco defines these Robeco Africa | Pure play asset management | Robeco Africa as “portfolios of equities and/or bonds for which environmental, social and governance factors have been integrated into the investment process.” Take inspiration from the local governments divesting from carbon in their pension and investment schemes.
4. Embrace a network of local flex spaces
A key advantage of hybrid flex spaces is their locality. They offer hubs near employees' homes, minimising daily commutes and encouraging eco-friendly travel.
“Hybrid work can deliver considerable environmental benefits, ranging from reduced carbon emissions and energy consumption to decreased waste generation and resource conservation. By embracing remote collaboration and promoting sustainable practices, companies can contribute to a greener, more sustainable future for all”, says Joanne Bushell, IWG, Senior Vice President, Africa
More than ever, urban planners and councils are introducing measures to enhance town environments. The aim is to turn "previously sleepy dormitory towns" into vibrant centres for work and community life," where commerce, accommodation, education, and greenery are all within reach—of course, cutting transport emissions and enhancing living conditions also. Flex spaces empower workers to spend more time in and around their community and enjoy local amenities.
In South Africa, industry accounts for the largest use of gas and electricity. Local workspaces, however, notably reduce building-related emissions, partly by maintaining higher occupancy rates and utilising more efficient energy systems, thus maximising resource use and minimising waste.
5. Regularly consult with employees, suppliers, and customers on sustainability
Consider crowdsourcing suggestions from your team, the companies you work with, and customers. You may find this yields several actionable ideas. Plus, it goes a long way to promoting collaboration and creating a sense of trust and open communication with your teams and customers.
These five ideas are a great starting point for strengthening corporate responsibility measures. If you're wondering where to begin, discover how an enterprise-level IWG membership can help your company move towards a hybrid model and enhance your corporate responsibility credentials, with advice on your workplace strategy and access to 4000 flexible workspaces worldwide.
About International Workplace Group PLC
International Workplace Group is the global leader in hybrid work solutions and workspace brands. We create personal, financial, and strategic value for businesses of every size, from some of the most exciting companies and well-known organisations on the planet, to individuals and the next generation of industry leaders. They all harness the power of International Workplace Group’s hybrid working platform to increase their productivity, efficiency, agility, and market proximity.
International Workplace Group’s unrivalled network coverage includes approximately 4,000 locations across more than 120 countries, and 83% of Fortune 500 companies are amongst our growing customer base.
Through our brands including Regus, Spaces, HQ and Signature, we help millions of people and their businesses to work more productively. We do so by providing the world’s leading hybrid work platform with professional, inspiring and collaborative workspaces and digital services all available via the International Workplace Group’s app.
For more information visit: www.iwgplc.com
