W I N T H E B A T T L E F O R T A L E N T W I T H

T H E R I G H T E Q U I P M E N T

The job market is a war zone. In many sectors, the shortage of professionals with the right talent and skill set is greater than ever

before. Companies are really struggling to recruit and keep talented individuals. How do you outsmart the competition and leave them

biting the dust in this war for talent? CBRE places the working environment at the heart of this heated struggle. The renowned

international commercial real estate services and investment firm has joined forces with the University of Twente to conduct the first study of its kind into the influence of healthy adjustments to the

workspace on the health and wellbeing of a large group of office workers. The outcome exceeded all expectations. Participants in the

study said they were not only happier, more energetic and healthier, they were also more productive.

says Elizabeth Nelson, researcher at the University of Twente. “The effects of minor changes in the areas of light, nutrition, relaxation, exercise and lush greenery on employees’ wellbeing have been nothing short of miraculous.” An example is making the participants’ workspaces more green by adding live plants, fake plants and green murals. A whopping 76% of participants felt more energetic, 78% felt happier and 65% felt healthier.

CARE ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES’ WELLBEINGWhile the figures leave no room for doubt, CBRE and the University of Twente were even more impressed by the enthusiasm and the commitment shown by participants. “It really resonated with people”, explains Nelson. “My heart melted when one of the participants said: ‘I think it’s fantastic that CBRE really cares about my health’. That’s wonderful of course, but at the same time I cannot help but think that caring about your employees should be part and parcel of being an employer. After all, you want them to take good care of themselves and you want to support them in any way you can, right? This still rarely happens in practice. Just look at the number of employees with burnouts and burnout symptoms.”

CBRE’s one-of-a-kind study has shown that employers offering their employees a healthy, energetic and inspiring working environment have the possibility to get ahead of the competition. For the study, more than 120 CBRE Amsterdam employees were closely monitored for seven months. Their workspaces included more plants, better lighting and participants were encouraged to exercise more, relax more, eat heathier and drink less coffee. The results? “Amazing and shocking at the same time”,

participants Healthy Offices Research

124PARTICIPANTS 36%

age 26-30 (45)

31%age

31-35 (39)

15%age

36-40 (18)

12%age

46-50 (15)

6%age

50+ (7)

42% female (52)

58% male (72)

Elizabeth Nelson

“THE EFFECTS OF SMALL CHANGES IN AMOUNT OF

LIGHT, NUTRITION, RELAXATION, EXERCISE AND LUSH GREENERY

ON EMPLOYEES’ WELLBEING ARE NOTHING SHORT OF

MIRACULOUS.”

to concentrate is a well-known fact, but even Nelson had not expected the devastatingly large effects that she discovered during her research. As part of one of the most striking experiments in the study, one group of employees was given large chocolate-covered cream puffs, while another group was offered vegetable smoothies. 25 minutes later both groups were asked to take a simple test: underlining letters in a text as appropriate. The participants who had had a green smoothie prior to the test performed on average 45% better than those in the cream puff group.

AN APPEALING OFFICE IS A HEALTHY OFFICEAccording to CBRE there’s no denying it: more and more often, appealing offices are healthy offices. Especially now that the millennials are becoming the majority. In 2025, 75% of the workforce will be members of Generation Y2. Oosting says: “Millennials have a different outlook on life compared to previous generations. They are mainly looking for what employers can do for them. They are increasingly concerned with quality of life; such as a good balance between work and leisure time. It’s high time for a fresh approach to office buildings and workspaces. An attractive office is more than just a cool building in the centre of town. It is an environment that focuses on the needs of the people who work in it. A healthy office space that contributes to the well-being and quality of life of all employees, giving them every opportunity to reach their full potential.”

R I G H T L I G H T I N GCircadianlighting

M E N T A LB A L A N C E

Meditation, yoga, powernaps and

massages at work

H E A L T H YN U T R I T I O N

Healthy alternatives to sugar and

caffeineN A T U R A L S P A C E

More plants on the work floor

P H Y S I C A L E X E R C I S E

Less sitting down, more exercise

STRONG EMPLOYER BRANDWouter Oosting, Senior Director of Workplace Strategies & Design at CBRE, believes this is an enormous opportunity for employers. The opportunity to attract talent by sending an authentic message. Oosting says: “What are you able to offer that your competitor cannot? If you draw a blank on anything but a salary, then you will be defeated in the war for talent. A strong employer brand is becoming more and more important. Think about your position in the job market. Be the employer who says: you are incredibly valuable to us, we want to do our part and make a positive contribution to your quality of life. This includes a working environment that allows you to be as happy and successful as possible.”

WE DESERVE BETTER AND WE CAN DO BETTER Talent is not only scarce, but more and more is expected of talented individuals. CBRE and Genesis1 Fast Forward 2030 report showed that automation and the introduction of robots will eliminate the need for almost 50% of all professions by 2030. What remains are the jobs that require a lot of creative, social and emotional intelligence. “Now that robots are slowly taking over more of our jobs, creative ideas are more important than ever before”, explains Nelson. “Performing at the required level is impossible on bucket loads of coffee, mountains of sugar and little to no daylight or exercise. This way of working is incredibly outdated. We deserve better and we can definitely do better.” The fact that sugar has a negative impact on our ability

1 Fast Forward 2030 – The future of work and the workplace, Genesis Research Report October 2014 (http://www.cbre.com/research-and-reports/future-of-work)

2 ‘Vraag naar twintigers op arbeidsmarkt stijgt sterk’ March 2016 https://fd.nl/economie-politiek/1145585/vraag-naar-millennials-op arbeidsmarkt-zal-alleen-maar-toenemen

AGEING POPULATIONOf course a healthy office is more than just a Millennial-proof office. Attention to health and well-being is important for employees of every generation. The workforce is ageing; we have to work past the age of 65 and employees are expected to take on more and more. Employers have an interest in having experienced employees stay healthy and active for as long as possible. Because although people are getting older, they are not necessarily staying in good health. This results in more sickness absence, a reduced sense of involvement and lower productivity. According to Oosting, we are building more and more sustainable offices, but our way of working is lagging behind: “If we expect our employees to work longer, then we should help them to stay fit. We can do this by creating a place where people enjoy spending time. Where they feel comfortable and have the opportunity of making healthy choices while at work, and where they can perform to the best of their abilities.”

HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR OFFICE?How do you make your office a Healthy Office, where people can be healthy, happy and productive? Based on the results of the study, CBRE and the University of Twente have worked together to develop a Healthy Offices QuickScan. The scan clearly shows the extent to which your current office environment is contributing to the health and well-being of your employees. It offers insight and clear and practical advice on how to improve your office set up. After a number of months the office will be surveyed again to find out if the situation has improved. Oosting says: “We would like to help employers invest in sustainable employability. By making investments now and creating a working environment that can support sustainable employability in the long term, you can leave the competition biting the dust in the war for talent.”

KICKOFF QUICKSCANASSESSMENT

IMPLEMENTATION HEALTHY FEATURES

IMPACTASSESSMENT

2 INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Via changes to the physical improvements

3 PROMOTION OF HEALTHY CHOICES Via changes to the physical environment, technology, policies & culture

1 CHECK RISK FACTORS

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE & COMFORT(Air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, ergonomics, hygiene)

NATURAL LIGHT & CIRCADIAN HEALTH

BIOPHILIA

WELLNESS AWARENESS

NUTRITION & HYDRATION

ACTIVITY

MENTAL WELLNESS

AIR & WATER CONTAMINANTS

PROCES HEALTHY OFFICES QUICKSCAN

Wouter Oosting

“WE ARE BUILDING MORE AND MORE SUSTAINABLE OFFICES,

BUT OUR WAY OF WORKING IS

LAGGING BEHIND.”

Disclaimer: Information contained herein, including projections, has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Healthy Offices research data was collected and analysed by our partner at the University of Twente. While we do not doubt its accuracy, we have not verified it and make no guarantee, warranty or representation about it. This information is presented exclusively for use by CBRE clients and professionals and all rights to the material are reserved and cannot be reproduced without prior written permission of CBRE. It is your responsibility to confirm independently its accuracy and completeness.

C B R E T E A MWouter OostingSenior Director Workplace Strategies & DesignE wouter.oosting@cbre.com

Maaike BonéDirector Client SolutionsE maaike.bone@cbre.com

CBRE Gustav Mahlerlaan 4051082 MK AmsterdamT +31 (0)20 626 26 91

cbre.nl/healthy

COLLABORATION SCIENCE AND BUSINESSBurn-outs are a common worldwide problem and the number of cases continues to rise. It's time for action. Elizabeth Nelson, PhD student Biomedical Engineering at the University of Twente, and Wouter Oosting, Senior Director Workplace Strategies & Design at CBRE, believe that the business community plays a decisive role in this.

FIND OUT MORECreating an environment that allows people to stay healthy and engaged has a massive impact on the health and effectiveness of employees! Read more about our unique scientific research in our e-paper.

Wouter Oosting

Elizabeth Nelson

DOWNLOAD E-PAPER