Banishing Stress From Your Office With Office Design
The workplace doesn’t have to be a stressful environment. In fact, with a few proactive tweaks to your office space can drastically reduce the amount of stress your employees face. These simple office design modifications can help people work more productively and feel more relaxed. Our fast-paced digital age sees us scrambling throughout the day trying to accomplish our tasks, so it’s in a company’s interest to mitigate this stress by following a few guidelines.
#1) CREATE A POSITIVE WORKSPACE
This might seem generic, but there’s more that actually goes into a positive workspace beyond company culture or H.R. guidelines. Today’s modern workspaces harness the power of colours and biophilic design to boost employee morale and happiness. The right colours chosen for particular rooms can inspire productivity, imagination and creativity, while biophilic design brings employees a little closer to nature by exposing them to bright natural light and some green trimmings around the office.
Studies have shown conclusively that investing in a nature-based workspace not only reduces stress, but makes employees more proactive when coming to work, and engaging in company culture. Collaborative break-out areas, open concept workspaces, multi-purpose office furniture and meeting pods can all serve as game-changers to boost productivity and teamwork in the right places. Finally, none of this means anything unless your company has a positive culture to go with it, and that starts from the top down.
#2) EXERCISE IS KEY
Many workplaces have integrated corporate wellness and exercise regimens into their daily routines to inspire employees by getting the blood pumping before the shift begins. Office work involves a large amount of sedentary behaviour; therefore it’s beneficial to get employees moving throughout the day. Beginning with a light exercise regimen in the morning can set the tempo for a productive day, and this can be maintained through periodic get-up-and-walk-around breaks. Investing in the right office furniture that encourages activity, such as height-adjustable desks to switch from sitting to standing on the fly is also beneficial. Many underestimate the massive health benefits to activity, proper posture and spinal alignment when it comes to the work day!
#3) KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED
A messy workspace signifies an unruly office. It’s a simple as that. By working to reduce clutter in favour of neatness and tidiness, your employees are able to concentrate better without having to deal with the frustration of finding papers, stationery or (heaven forbid) their tech devices. Concentration levels plummet when things get out of hand, and that goes for other employees within the vicinity. Invest in the right office equipment to reduce clutter such as file storage systems, and if possible, migrate your company to the paperless route. Modern storage options are both aesthetically pleasing and quite versatile, which can add lovely decor to your office and solve two problems at the same time.
#4) DON’T SWEAT IT
Your company culture should tackle stress in a pragmatic, yet positive manner. Make sure that you have the right quiet areas and break out rooms for employees to collect their thoughts and reorganize their day. Design a space around the concepts we’ve talked about in the above sections, and realize that they are all part of the same puzzle. Employees will often look to their managers and superiors for guidance, so be sure that you’re leading by example. If they see you handle stress in a positive manner, so too will they be inclined to follow in your footsteps.
These are just a few of the ways that company culture and great office design can coalesce into a singular entity which can ward off workplace stress and lead to happier, healthier and more productive work. To learn more about the huge benefits of great interior office design, reach out to us here!