The modern workplace is transforming into a more efficient, collaborative, and productive environment through numerous developments. Higher density floor plans are becoming more prevalent among the newest office concepts, re-configuring personal workspaces into shared group areas, and ultimately condensing personal workspace per employee.
Much has changed in the workplace over the past several years. A number of factors are driving change in everything from corporate culture to the physical setup of offices. Younger generations enter the workforce and bring a desire for collaboration and flexible workplaces. Sustainability efforts have become increasingly important for many organizations. New technology is enabling a more flexible work environment and increased interactivity among co-workers.
We hear it from procurement teams a lot: they want to spend smarter. This is especially true for indirect spend categories. Many organizations are aware of the opportunities that indirect categories offer to achieve procurement goals like increased cost savings, but, the challenge is that many teams are already overstretched and don’t have the time to really focus on driving improvements in their spend programs.
My new year’s resolution for 2017 was to be more environmentally conscious and actively observe the principals of reduce, reuse and recycle. Unlike resolutions of year’s past, I am sticking with this one. Three months in (I started early!) and I’ve proudly diverted more recyclable material away from the local landfill than I could have expected. I had no idea how much “single use” plastic and other recyclable packaging I used on a regular basis. I now only dispose of a small bag (made of recycled paper) about once per week, and if I had the space to compost I could probably cut that down even further. (My next goal!)
The breakroom is an area of the office that, maybe surprisingly, holds an opportunity to help procurement cut costs in a major way. In addition to helping improve productivity by giving employees a space to recharge throughout the day, the break room and the products you stock in it can help your organization reduce waste.
You probably know that breakrooms are a great place to boost employee moral and give a positive impression to office visitors. But did you also know that the products you stock give your organization an opportunity to be more in touch with environmental concerns?
