Today’s scenario of climate emergency and increasing inequality is obliging companies to redefine their role in society. Against this backdrop, workplaces that feature sustainability make it possible to deploy the corporate mission and bolster the business strategy with a positive impact outlook, and are catalysts of collaborative, social innovation. The first Esade-ISS Barometer of Sustainability in the Workplace by the Esade Institute for Social Innovation in conjunction with ISS Spain, highlights the need for workplaces to be neither inflexible nor static, and for them to be flexible, adaptable places that encourage innovation and resilience. This transformation concerns not only physical aspects but also relationships and alliances developed inside and outside the company.

This Barometer draws upon Esade’s thorough, academic mindset together with ISS Spain’s extensive experience and knowledge of workplace management. This pioneering report analyzes how sustainability is built into the workplace, with a view to creating a tool for periodically measuring its evolution.

Sonia Ruiz, the author of the barometer and a researcher at the Esade Institute of Social Innovation, explained that “we’re immersed in a paradigm shift at several levels, and the workplace is no exception. The corporate workplace is a reflection of broader society and as such, it must redefine itself and adapt to this new, ever-changing world. If companies are to be part of an open and evolving ecosystem, then their workplaces cannot be isolated, hierarchical spaces. This viewpoint is no longer valid in the 2020s.”

The incorporation of environmental criteria into workplace management

The Esade-ISS Barometer is based on a survey of 37 companies in a variety of economic sectors including agri-food, finance, construction and pharmaceuticals; 27% of them are companies listed on the IBEX 35; and 78% have more than 1,000 employees. As this report reveals, Spanish companies are being transformed by incorporating sustainability not only into their workplaces but also into their organizational culture, leadership and strategy.

In this respect, the incorporation of environmental criteria into workplace management deserves a mention. The corporate buildings and production facilities of 89% of the companies surveyed have received sustainability certification. Energy efficiency is a priority for 75% of companies, while 71% are promoting recycling and implementing waste-reduction policies, including the elimination of single-use materials and packaging. In addition, 83% are encouraging digital documentation in a move towards the paperless office. Finally, 68% of companies have adopted policies to ensure efficient water management and saving, a clear indication of their commitment to sustainability in many areas of their operations.

The barometer also shows the gradual advancement of sustainability in governance and the corporate agenda and underlines that the sustainable transformation of the workplace calls for a humanistic, conscious leadership that promotes active listening, constructive criticism and a systemic outlook. Some 45% of sustainability directors report directly to the CEO: a reflection of the strategic importance of sustainability in companies. The report also underlines that sustainability is a corporate area currently led by women, who account for 76% of the persons surveyed.

Decalogue of Sustainability in the Workplace

The Barometer lists the ten main factors and recommendations for encouraging companies to speed up their transformation towards more sustainable and collaborative workplaces:

Leadership. The leaders of organizations must make it possible to create workplaces that promote ambitious, disruptive thinking about business. Leadership must be conscious, humanistic and empathetic, and must prioritize active listening and a critical mindset. It is essential for management to focus on employees, their professional careers, safety and overall well-being.

Purpose, values and culture. The workplace must showcase the company’s value proposition by demonstrating the coherence and integrity of its ESG actions and commitments.

Innovation. The workplace must be a place for open, collaborative innovation, where unsustainable business models are queried and where alliances for scaling-up solutions are facilitated. To make this possible, it is essential to cultivate a culture of innovation based on new habits and to integrate multiple viewpoints.

Compliance. It is essential to go further than the mandatory compliance requiring the analysis and mitigation of a company’s adverse impact on human rights and the environment, and to anticipate the opportunities that stem from implementing the regulations. The report highlights the importance of handling the risks and opportunities of the value chain collaboratively, and its impact on the transformation of the workplace.

Governance. This means ensuring that senior management is committed to the transition towards a sustainable work model, by shifting from the management of physical spaces to ecosystems of relationships; and adopting long-term management, focused on co-creation that involves stakeholders and the creation of regenerative organizations.