FOCUS DRINKS
Nearly two-thirds of the human body is
composed of water, and even a reduction
of as little as two per cent of body weight in
hydration levels can influence mood, lead
to greater feelings of fatigue and
a reduced state of alertness.
Yet research has found that
people in many parts of the
world are inadequately
hydrated. For example,
75 per cent of women
and 90 per cent of men in
Italy consume less than
the European Food Safety
Authority’s adequate intake
recommendation of 2.5 litres
of water for men and two litres
for women (2), including drinking
water as well as water from other
beverages and food.
According to the WELL certification standard (3),
which is concerned with the health and wellbeing of
building occupants, the first step towards increasing
the consumption of plain water is to make it easily
available. This was straightforward back in the day
when people were happy to drink water from a tap.
But over the last decade single-use plastic water
bottles have permeated the workplace, meaning
that FMs not only have to ensure sta have access
to drinking water, but that it is refreshing and
enticing enough to lure occupants away from nonsustainable
branded mineral water.
This challenge was demonstrated in a recent
40 NOVEMBER 2019
joint survey by FMJ and
Zip, which looked closely
into what influences FMs’
decisions when it comes
to balancing wellbeing with
sustainability at work. It emerged
that while 96 per cent of FMs consider
sustainability an important part of their role, 97 per
cent regard wellbeing as even more important. It’s
clearly a balancing act.
Comments Russell Owens, Zip Water UK Marketing
Director: “The results of this survey prove what
we already suspected – that FMs play a vital
role in implementing and managing wellbeing
and sustainability within a workplace. It’s also
interesting to note that the majority of respondents,
63 per cent, feel that single-use plastic is an issue in
their building, and a huge proportion, 93 per
cent, feel that the FM industry could
be doing more to reduce singleuse
plastic water bottles in
the workplace.”
One answer is the
installation of a chilled
mains-fed filtered
drinking water system
that promotes both
sta wellbeing and
refill behaviour –
helping to eliminate
single-use plastic water
bottles for good. The other benefits are that such
systems can come with a hot water option, so users
can choose to have a glass of chilled water or make
themselves tea or other hot drinks.
Roy Marsden, Product Manager at Heatrae Sadia,
adds that installing a convenient drinking water
supply can also feed into the biophilic design of
the workplace, emphasising our connection with
nature by looking at how our surroundings can
have a positive impact on health, wellbeing and
productivity.
COFFEE TIME
It’s been estimated that three-quarters (75 per cent)
of people prefer co ee at work (4), and there is a
growing appetite for great-tasting, good-quality
brews. We’re also moving away from seeing the
o ice as the place where you go and sit all
day in front of a computer screen.
The workplace is now viewed
as the place to catch up
with your colleagues and
exchange ideas. But as
the workplace evolves
into a collaborative
and sociable space, the
type of refreshments
that people demand
have grown more
sophisticated.
In a survey carried out
Keeping building occupants hydrated
is a balancing act between taste,
quality, wellbeing and sustainability,
says Sara Bean
It’s been estimated
that three-quarters
of people prefer coff ee
at work...”