FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Integrating inclusivity and accessibility into the office remains a low priority for businesses despite a growing HR desire to attract more diverse talent than ever before, according to trends data.
Post-Covid, mental health and wellbeing has become one of the top priorities for employees, as highlighted in CIPHR’s report. Business leaders have acknowledged, therefore, the importance of creating office space that can best support its employees.
Reflecting this, data gathered by workplace supplies firm, Banner, indicates that attracting diverse talent is a huge priority for business owners at the moment. However, not only is the search volume around creating inclusive and accessible office design low, but those who searched indicated uncertainty on how best this can be achieved.
Jason Thomas from Banner, said: “It stands to reason that if you want to attract diverse talent, you must make your workplace inclusive and accessible. But when something is perceived as difficult or unclear, it can easily drop down the priority list, and our research indicates a lot of business owners have been left scratching their heads.”
Searches for “accessibility” and “inclusivity” have shown a clear climb in search popularity over the last three years, whilst search terms such as “inclusive design”, “inclusive office” and “accessible office” have not followed the same trend.
Adding to this, it was found that the most popular search queries around these phrases included:
- What’s inclusive workplace?
- Why inclusive workspace is important?
- How can workplaces be more inclusive?
Thomas added: “We’re coming out of Covid-19 and heading into a global recession, at the peak of a cross-industry HR crisis. In other words, we’re in the eye of the storm. Now is the time to take stock and set course for the stormy season ahead and do everything you can to ensure you have the talent to deliver on targets and remain productive. Fortunately, creating an inclusive and accessible workplace can be quite straightforward with the help of experienced workplace supplies partners through products and approaches such as adjustable desks, mixed seating arrangements, well designed floor plans and so on.”
In a highly cost-competitive and dynamic marketplace, to keep up with ever-expanding client demands and remain competitive, there is increasing pressure on FM organisations to effectively manage risk.
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