People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1 - 61

tion stations, plant life, treadmill desks,
ergonomic sit/stand desks, energy-absorbing
flooring, advanced air purification, and antimicrobial coatings on all surfaces. In 2013,
this office became the world's first commercial
office building to be certified under the WELL
Building Standard. 

ARE: How have these changed made a difference at CBRE? 
LO: After a year of working in our office in
downtown L.A., we asked our employees to
tell us if they felt our health and wellness
initiatives were making a difference. An incredible 92 percent of employees said the
new space has had a positive effect on their
health and well-being, while 50 percent of
employees reported that they use the height
adjustable (sit/stand) desks and 74 percent
prefer using the stairs to move through the
building as opposed to the elevators. Of all
the wellness features, hydration stations,
plant life, and the circadian lighting-an artificial lighting system that changes throughout the day to match natural human
circadian rhythms-ranked as the most wellliked among employees.

ARE: What is the evidence that you achieved
your objectives?
LO: We took a bold step in bringing this
new way of working to the U.S. with our
downtown L.A. office, and one year after
moving into our new work environment,
more than 90 percent of employees report
that, if given the choice, they would not return to their previous, traditional way of
working. Eighty-three percent of employees
feel more productive in the new space, and
93 percent say that the new space has had a
positive impact on their business performance. These results not only validate our
workplace approach, including the role
health and wellness play in overall performance, but they serve as a tremendous recruitment and retention tool that will help
drive the growth of our firm into the
future.

ARE: What were some key insights you gained
from this experience about how a workplace
impacts health and well-being?
LO: The office is a place where people
spend a lot of their time, and investing in
employees-especially in their health and wellbeing-is one of the most important things we
can do as a company. The wellness aspect of
our Workplace360 initiative adds a critical element to our work environments by creating
places where people feel energized and want to
be every day, and where they are able to be
focused and productive.

ARE: From an HR standpoint, what is CBRE
doing to create a workplace and workforce
that is healthy and well?

Eighty-three percent of employees feel more productive in the new
space.

LO: We now have 21 Workplace360 offices,
and many more are planned. While each will
have its own unique expression of wellness,
this is now part of our strategy around
the world. Each office has a wellness committee made up of our employees, and they design
the local wellness programs in conjunction
with leadership.

ARE: What are your words of advice to
other CHROs who might be wondering why
this matters?
LO: The physical environment is an
important enabler of culture; don't overlook
this magic bullet.

ARE: What can HR leaders everywhere do to
lead improvements to the health and wellbeing of their workplace and workforce?
LO: Give people choice in the workplace. Give
them the freedom to collaborate, team up,
socialize, focus, and meet. And give them a
healthy, safe, energetic, and dynamic workplace in which to do all of it.
VOLUME 38/ISSUE 1 - 2015

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People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1
