How Wellbeing and Office Design go Hand-in-Hand

Wellbeing is a term that is talked about greatly in the world of business and is now an integral part of a lot of business strategies.

For many businesses, it’s becoming common practice to create a working environment that promotes healthy and happy employees. This, naturally, brings a number of huge benefits to the table, including reduced employee sickness and a boost in staff morale and productivity.

(If you aren’t sure what wellbeing is, take the time to check out a recent article we wrote.

Better Office Design = Improved Employee Wellbeing

There seems to have been a realisation among lots of business owners recently that office design plays a fundamental role in promoting good employee wellbeing. For example, employees will generally feel happier working in an office that is bright, opposed to a dark and dingy office – though there is lots more to think about when considering the relationship between office design and employee wellbeing.

Biophilia and Natural Light

Incorporating natural elements into an office design makes humans feel much more at ease, and is becoming an increasingly common way to promote employee wellbeing.

What is biophilia:

The term biophilia refers to the connection between humans and nature, and the need for humans to surround themselves more with the outdoor elements.

By creating a biophilic office design with lots of natural light and outdoorsy design elements, such as wood, plants and other natural finishes, you can go a long way towards boosting the wellbeing of your employees.

Office Furniture Design

It can sometimes be easy, as a business owner, to opt for the cheapest or most aesthetically pleasing office furniture, but furniture design runs much deeper than the way something looks. Employee comfort should be close to the top of your list when you are thinking about improving wellbeing throughout your office.

A lot of health problems can arise from sitting at a desk all day, so it’s important to think about the chairs your staff sit in, the height of monitors and even the lighting in the room. Investing in high quality office chairs with good back supports can help to reduce back problems among staff.

If you aren’t sure how comfortable your employees are when sitting at their desks, why not create a survey to find out how many people are struggling with comfort or back problems.

Mental Wellbeing

Employee wellbeing is as much about mental wellbeing as it is physical wellbeing. It’s pointless having an exceptional office environment with lots of natural light, plants and comfortable chairs if all of your staff are unhappy. If you staff feel happy and empowered in their jobs then this will boost their wellbeing.

Think about providing workspaces that offer people the choice, variety and freedom to work how and when they want. This will boost the sense of employee wellbeing throughout the office.

Creating a Better Workplace

Modern office design is becoming more about creating workspaces that help employees to maximise their potential and be their best. In order for someone to work to their highest level day-in day-out, your office needs to become an environment that supports them both physically and mentally. It should help them to feel calm, collected and inspired whilst at work.

The best office designs are essentially living spaces that continue to evolve with the company’s employees and its brand.  Contact our team for more information.