Earth Day is celebrated every year on 22 April. This tradition began in 1970 in response to growing environmental concerns after a large oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. And over the decades, Earth Day has become a global event. One that brings together over a billion people all over the world with one shared goal – raising awareness of environmental issues and pursuing a sustainable future.

For businesses and organizations, Earth Day also offers an opportunity to raise awareness and foster environmental responsibility within the workplace. In this article, we explore the role of offices and workplaces generally in broader sustainability efforts, discuss the benefits of embracing Earth Day with practical eco-friendly practices, and give some ideas on how to organize engaging office events to celebrate this special date.

The Role of Office Spaces in Sustainability

Office environments significantly influence environmental outcomes. According to the World Resources Institute, 6.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions are emitted by commercial buildings alone, including offices. 

And although energy consumption contributes 60% of an office’s total carbon footprint, there are other office-related activities that can also be targeted to achieve effective sustainability measures during Earth Day and beyond.

Read the rest of this entry »

The gradual rollback of remote work arrangements, which were put in place as a short-term fix to keep businesses operating during the height of pandemic lockdowns, has now given rise to one of the most contentious issues in the employment arena. To return to the office, or not to return, that is the question. 

Some prominent businesses like Spotify are steadfastly upholding flexible work-from-home policies, stating resoundingly that “remote staff aren’t children.” Other tech giants, however, such as Amazon and iPhone challenger, Nothing, have made U-turns on their previous work-from-home policies, implementing return-to-office policies across the board for all corporate employees. 

Taking their lead from the tech heavyweights, return-to-office (RTO) mandates are now widespread for businesses throughout the United States. And with the new administration declaring an RTO mandate for all federal employees of government offices throughout the country, the tide well and truly seems to be shifting against remote, hybrid, and even flexible work schedules.

Drastic Shift: From Widespread Remote Work to Full RTOs

The prestige and dominant market power of big-name tech brands helps ensure they can continue to attract top talent in droves, regardless of any contentious mandates like a full RTO. This will remain true even despite the attrition of former remote hires who were attracted by the flexible work location policies of a few short years ago. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Washington DC is one of the largest US office space markets by square footage, which means local businesses are never short of options when it comes to finding a suitable office unit in the nation’s capital. For anyone interested in setting up an office or relocating to the city, we have created an overview of the costs involved in doing so.

The business environment in Washington DC

Washington DC has a thriving business ecosystem boasting excellent tech infrastructure, unparalleled access by road, sea, railway, and air, with three major airports, and office space options that can accommodate anything from large headquarters to micro-enterprises.

In addition, local companies enjoy access to a highly educated workforce, the presence of influential industry players in various industries, and several incentives to lessen the financial impact of running a business in the city.

Read the rest of this entry »

As one of the world’s leading business locations, New York City attracts office-based businesses with a wide range of requirements and budgets. In this article, we offer an in-depth analysis of the costs associated with renting office space in the Big Apple, so you can make the best decision when establishing your business footprint in the city.

Understanding the factors that influence office space costs

The cost of leasing office space in New York City‘s office market is influenced by a number of factors, including:

– Location: Although Manhattan still tops the list in terms of prestige, other areas fare better for ease of commute, as is the case of Brooklyn, and their popularity is reflected in rising prices when compared to the rest of the New York office space stock. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Fun office events are a great way to improve team cohesion and general workplace wellbeing, all while building a sense of belonging amongst employees. These events can also be an opportunity to develop interpersonal skills and further instill your company’s values, particularly when they align with your overall ethos. A great example of this would be a wellness brand opting to take employees through a guided meditation or in-office yoga session.

Despite the recent rise of remote and hybrid work schedules, there is still a lot of importance placed on engaging staff through team building and promoting happy and inclusive work cultures. However, it’s important to note that best practices have shifted somewhat in recent times – away from standard corporate event ideas like Friday night work drinks or team lunches and towards more inclusive, diverse activities. 

So, to inspire a packed calendar of enjoyable and engaging office events for your teams in the new year, we’ve curated a list of fun office events that stray away from tired and low-effort happy hours. 

Hopefully, a few of these ideas can make an appearance in your office’s social calendar and, after their success, be recurring events that your employees will continue to look forward to during their many years of tenure. Looking for some fun corporate event ideas for your office to implement? 

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a remote worker, you know the importance of finding a good workspace. While home offices or public spaces can be great places to get work done, they often lack the necessary tools and facilities to help you be at your most productive. That’s where coworking spaces come in. Coworking spaces offer all the benefits of traditional office spaces, without the limitations of long lease terms. For a relatively low cost, coworking spaces provide remote employees with an oasis of productivity from which they can network, complete tasks, or even launch entirely new entrepreneurial endeavors, all whilst working alongside others and bouncing ideas off like-minded people.

A recent study by Zippia shows that, as of 2022, 66% of U.S. employees work remotely in some capacity, with roughly 36 million people expected to be working remotely across America by 2025. Moreover, this same study outlines that 16% of companies in the U.S. are fully-remote, a number that is expected to increase in years to come.
Read the rest of this entry »

The impact of the pandemic can still be felt on multiple fronts, almost three years after its emergence in early 2020. One of the most noticeable of these impacts has been the proliferation of remote work and its influence on where people choose to live and work. Not so long ago, most people chose where they lived based on where they worked or where their industry was focused. Fast forward to the end of 2022, and it’s no longer as cut and dry as it once was. 

In recent years, large cities and their suburban rings have lost some of the appeal that previously allowed them to attract employees and homeowners. Today, the rise of remote work and the decentralization of talent that it provides has given way to a surge in demand for both residential and commercial properties in areas that had previously flown under the radar.

Some pundits are saying that these changes are here to stay, so the question is – where are people living and working in a post-pandemic United States?

Read the rest of this entry »

Dealing with a fixed-term lease agreement and looking to move offices or downsize? The topic of commercial lease transfer can be confusing to navigate, particularly when you are unsure of your rights and obligations under the lease.

If you’re renting a commercial property, you signed a contract at the beginning of your tenancy called a lease agreement, which contains all the details of your rights and obligations while occupying and conducting business operations at the commercial property. Your agent is required by law to give you a copy of the lease agreement if you don’t already have one.

The following article will serve as a full guide to commercial lease assignment, providing business owners with an overview of the legal considerations and elements required for an assignment of lease.

What is a Commercial Lease Assignment?

Also known as a lease transfer, a commercial lease assignment involves a tenant transferring all of their interests and rights in a lease to a new party. This new tenant will take on the responsibilities of the existing lease, including rent and any other obligations, leaving the original tenant free to exit the agreement.

Read the rest of this entry »

Median Salary vs. Average Salary: How Much are Office Workers Really Paid?

Given the renewed relevancy of the office as a working environment, we believe it is a prudent time to examine how much the average American office worker earns, by age. 

Median and average salary figures are both commonly used when exploring fair compensation in the workplace. Average salary data is determined by adding together all salaries earned by a particular group and dividing this figure by the number of people in the group, whilst median salary data is derived by arranging salaries from low to high and selecting the midpoint. A lot of people refer to these terms interchangeably, however, most prefer to compare salaries against the median wage – as it isn’t as impacted by the dramatic ends of the spectrum.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ensuring that employees feel valued and recognized has never been more important for business leaders than it is in the current world of work. Employers looking to build an environment in which employees are fully engaged and fulfilled with their work have been striving to find new and exciting ways to show their appreciation, with the ultimate aim of bolstering company culture and retaining top talent. The upheaval to the modern business landscape, brought on by COVID-19 and the long-running lockdowns that accompanied it, have resulted in an unprecedented sea change. Despite the majority of the world returning to some semblance of normality, the ripple effects are still being felt, with marked shifts in employee priorities, perceptions of management, and workplace desires. 

These shifts have been especially noticeable in the changed power dynamic between workers and businesses. Employees are now less likely to put up with mistreatment or less-than-ideal working situations. Instead, they have become more open to jumping ship for better working arrangements, rather than persist with jobs that infringe too much on their wellbeing.

Workplace trends such as improved flexibility in the workplace, including allowances for hybrid schedules and other non-traditional working models, the provision of additional benefits, and the renovation of workspaces to be more human-centric, have all become widely accepted as core to employee experience. The businesses who have arrived late to the party are now scrambling to catch up to competitors who reaped the benefits of quickly adopting some, if not all, of these trends.  

Read the rest of this entry »