Did you know that workplace design has a substantial impact on employees’ health, motivation, and output? In one survey, 93% of participants stated they would work longer at an organisation that provided healthier working conditions and perks.
Whilst office and design trends evolve over time, the effect that a workplace has on the health and well-being of its employees is a constant. We’ve found that a growing number of employees are choosing workplaces that prioritise their wellness as they realise they spend over a third of their existence in offices.
The WELL Building Standard
The WELL Buildings Standard is the first evidence-based method to certify, evaluate, and keep track of building characteristics that have an influence on tenants’ health and welfare. In order to provide the healthiest workspace possible, a building or office must pass tests that ensure occupant satisfaction and well-being characteristics are optimised.
The foundation of WELL is a set of medical research that examines the relationship between the buildings we spend more than 90% of our time in and our health and wellness. A constructed environment that enhances dietary habits, physical activity, mood, and sleep patterns can be made possible through WELL CertifiedTM spaces and WELL CompliantTM core and shell developments.
The WELL Building Standard is one of the best references to create a wellness-centric workplace for your team. Here are the 7 factors that can help you in making sure you meet your goals and encourage everyone in the office to make healthier habits.
7 Factors of WELL Building Standard
The health and happiness of your employees are significantly impacted by air quality. Here are some ways you can influence the quality of the air:
- Impose a no-smoking policy
- Create ecological cleaning procedures and maintain a clutter-free office
- install air filtration devices
- Maintain a healthy humidity level
- Add some indoor plants
- Keep the windows open
The amount of light is one of the key causes of headaches and eyestrain. In fact, 52% of workers suffer from health issues due to poor lighting in their office space. However, these situations can be avoided if the lighting levels are enough. Low lighting can strain occupants’ eyes and raise the possibility of glare and general visual discomfort.
Additionally, spending a lot of time indoors under artificial light affects our circadian rhythms, which have an immediate impact on the quality of our sleep. Whilst you can always get full-spectrum natural light bulbs for your office, we strongly encourage other best practices to incorporate natural lighting into your commercial office space, such as the following:
- Invest in bigger windows. Employees who sit close to the window and are exposed to daylight reported a 2% increase in productivity.
- Add a skylight. This can reduce your lighting energy cost by between 50% – 80%.
- Blind and roman curtains over blackout. These are low-maintenance and easy to clean, preventing allergens from affecting your employees.
- Maximise mirrors to reflect the natural light. This also gives your workspace a sense of style, elegance and character.
- Use the right colour palette. The most practical choice is white, especially for taking advantage of natural light. But if this seems too plain, go for flat white instead of a glossier finish to reduce glare.
According to research, employees typically sit at their desks for 5 hours and 41 minutes each day. Such sedentary lifestyles increase the risk of obesity and other health issues including diabetes and heart attacks. You can reduce these dangers by encouraging movement and fitness through design, encouraging the use of mobile furniture, and encouraging more stair use.
Employee productivity will suffer if employees are not at ease at work. And for certain workers, loud environments will make them more stressed out. Accessibility to amenities, ergonomic furniture, suitable noise levels, and a reasonable temperature is necessary for a comfortable work environment.
You can also give workers a variety of workspaces to use throughout the day. Create break-out places, hot-desking locations, informal gathering spots, and imaginative brainstorming spaces.
Both mental and physical health are interconnected. Poor mental well-being is frequently a result of poor health. The indoor environment can have an impact on mental health, thus your goal is to lower stress levels, lift spirits, and advance general health and wellness.
Use the following methods to improve the emotional well-being of your staff:
- Make locations for collaboration as well as spaces where people may unwind and relax.
- Plants in pots, living walls, or flower gardens are good ways to add greenery.
- Create outdoor areas (rooftop patio or staff garden)
- Give employees options for where and how they want to work by being flexible.
Water helps us focus, think clearly, and stay awake and alert because our brains contain 73% water. It also helps us sleep better and feel more energised. As a result, we are able to work more efficiently.
We recommend making clean, filtered water and every water cooler and dispenser to be available within a hundred feet of every occupied desk. You can also consider utilising high-tech solutions, such as a free-standing water cooler that uses UV light to deliver clean water for your team.
A healthy diet is frequently associated with physical fitness or weight loss, but its biggest effect is on mental sharpness. Cognition is a function of your brain, controlling your thoughts, movements, senses, and everything else that enables you to function as a human being.
When people are under stress, they are more likely to either forget to eat or eat excessive amounts of foods that will make them feel worse. Learning about the advantages of eating a balanced, healthy diet is crucial for overall well-being, but this is especially true in workplaces where stress is a typical occurrence.
Think about putting on a Lunch & Learn on healthy eating. To inform workers and promote healthier eating habits, many dietitians will organise free educational workshops that feature ideas, recipes, and resources.
Looking for a Perth Commercial Builder with Sustainable Standards?
If you would like to build, renovate, or fit-out your office space, simply call 0403 464 064 or contact us to get a free quote.