It’s no secret that happy employees equals happy businesses. Now more than ever, it’s vital that companies take care of their staff to augment their wellbeing. Something as small as a well-planned office design can have lifelong influences on the people that dedicate hours there. Not only does it affect their physical health, but their mentality too. In turn, it can also save your business any unnecessary costs by reducing the number of sick days taken.
Implementing wellness into the workplace has an endless list of benefits. We’ve gathered some handy tips to help you create a healthy office with content employees.
ONE
Lighten the mood
Our mood is heavily influenced by the weather and lighting, and darker months can see an increase in cases of depression. Research has proven that exposure to sunlight triggers areas in the retina that release serotonin (Nall, R. and Legg, T. J., Healthline, 2019). To add sunshine both in the workplace and amongst colleagues, a simple solution is to find interior attributes that make efficient use of light.
It’s then no surprise that designers preach about making effective use of natural light in your workspace. Harsh overhead lighting has been proven to cause headaches and migraines, and drains company morale, as well as making staff more irritable. Allowing natural light to flow through your office can create open and airy spaces – something we all have missed after a year of lockdowns and isolating. To get your healthy dose of vitamin D whilst working from home, try opening your curtains or rearranging your desk placement to face windows to minimise the feeling of being enclosed.
TWO
Prioritise a breakout room
The typical employee will spend 8 hours of their day at their desk with a lunch hour to stretch their legs and experience a change of scenery. It’s vital that staff have a comfortable breakout room to take time away from work so they can return with fresh minds. From recharging with a coffee to sharing ideas amongst colleagues to relaxed, informal meetings, it’s important that breakout rooms are flexible to suit the diverse needs of those in it. Looking at the available facilities and furniture is a great place to start; staff will need a place to store food, a place to sit down and a place where they can take a few seconds for themselves. Regular breaks and a well-designed breakout room can maximise productivity, encourage collaborations and re-energise staff to avoid a work burnout.
THREE
Find versatile furniture
So, you’ve got the space for the perfect breakout room, but how do you fill it? It’s important to find flexible furniture that can adapt to the needs of those that use it. Sitting in an office all day is a sure way to cause lifelong musculoskeletal problems amongst staff members – and this doesn’t just apply to offices, we’re talking about that kitchen chair you’ve been using in your ‘home office’. The ergonomic design of your office furniture needs to support the posture of the human body to support the health of your employees. A chair, for instance, should be the perfect blend of comfort and practicality.
Jump on the bandwagon and bring nature into the workplace. Not only do plants in the office inject some personality into the room, but they also have many health benefits. Without boring you with the gritty science, living plants purify the air quality by increasing the oxygen levels. This will, in turn, decrease instances of mental fatigue and boost productivity levels amongst the work team. Plants in the office really are the gift that keeps on giving; humans naturally connect to nature and can have a huge positive impact on work attitudes, stress levels and creativity.
Many studies have exposed the influence of colour on mood. When choosing furniture for your fit out project, consider the rooms purpose and the use of colour to enhance this. By implementing the right colour into your furniture design, you can create an ideal working environment or even reflect your company’s identity. Cooler colours have calming influences, whereas warmer colours evoke power and passion.
FOUR
Agile workstations
The phrase ‘agile workplace’ gets thrown around the commercial interiors industry time and time again. It’s become increasingly important for offices to be flexible for the diversity of their workers. Put simply, offices should be designed for any employee to do any type of work at any time. Workplace agility grants staff with the tools to work productively, as well as supporting employee wellbeing, culture and the work environment. To make your workplace more agile, consider the versatility of your furniture, the mental support given to staff, the flexibility of private and collaborative areas, breakout rooms and more.
FIVE
Wellness when working from home
Giving advice for implementing wellness in the workplace is all well and good, but we haven’t forgotten that a large majority of us have recently adapted to working from home. Whilst companies should be looking for ways to ensure staff feel safe and protected when they return to work, employees can find ways to look after their wellbeing from home. Augmenting tips from office designs into the workplace such as increased lighting and taking regular breaks from the computer screen are great places to start. Ensuring that regular video calls happen between colleagues can reduce loneliness as well as ease communications and going for regular walks in the sunshine can dowse employees in some of that essential vitamin D. Most importantly, employers should check in regularly with their staff to ensure the are able to work from home and have all the mental support they need.
To discuss how we can implement wellbeing throughout your office with your fit out, get in touch today.
