Workplace Wellbeing

A long table with two different levels, surrounded by chairs.

Is your workforce engaged and happy?

The old adage of ‘look after your staff and they’ll look after the rest’ is just as apt today as it ever was. If a business places importance on assisting its employees in their day-to-day working experiences, it will play heavily into how happy, appreciated, engaged and productive they are. We may live in a more technology-led society these days, but people are still the beating heart of our businesses.

Designing An Office With Workplace Well-Being In Mind

The environment has an obvious role to play in our workplace well-being; as we’re present in the same working atmosphere for the vast majority of the week, our general health and well-being will be severely affected by what we experience. If that experience is one of difficulty; low moods caused by a poor in-work atmosphere, uncomfortable furniture, lack of amiable facilities or stationary, outdated and unsuitable equipment, it will not get the best out of our skills.

 

However, by using intelligent office design with employee wellbeing in mind, any business can get the best out of its staff. This, in turn, will help to get the best out of the business; creating a happy, successful community, that everyone wants to be a part of.

 

Workplace well-being covers both our physical and mental state. Things that have a direct influence over our body define physical well-being; items such as ergonomic furniture, temperature controls and lighting set-ups are great examples.

 

Taking an approach to mental well-being can help to improve our moods, help us to collect our thoughts and to strike up working and personal relationships with the people we work with every day. This is why office design elements such as breakout areas (for people to relax, refresh and connect with others in), collaborative working spaces and bringing a more natural feel to the office are proving popular in contemporary offices.

If balanced well enough, an office designed with workplace well-being in mind can:

Leading to an improvement in productivity, skills, rapport, job satisfaction and crucially, retention. 

Work no longer will be seen as a ‘chore’, but more of an ‘exciting challenge’. This will motivate people, improving their mood and by extension, their general health and wellbeing.

Further working towards a harmonious team and a dedicated, sustainable workforce. Lowering recruitment costs at a stroke too.

Fundamentally, supporting (and balancing) both the physical and mental needs of the workforce can help to enhance well-being and productivity. Where to start though?

Starting your office design

The caveat with a successful office design is that there is no uniform solution that all businesses can use. As each business is different; in terms of its size, industry, products, location, aims, culture, branding, ambitions and budgets, the makeup of each design will (and should) differ vastly.

 

Then there are the people, of course. The very people whose workplace well-being will need to be looked after by what the environment of the office has to offer. Each person will have their own particular way of working, so shaping the environment around them (to work alongside them) will more likely get the best out of them. Otherwise, they may have to change how they work, which will not get the best out of their unique abilities and may even go on to affect their mood and eventually, their productivity.

 

Before undertaking any sort of well-being initiative, it is important to understand the requirements of employees and marry them with the aims of the business. By doing this, you’ll be creating a bespoke design plan that will relate more to the business and the people who use it; a customisation that will more likely get the best out of everyone.

 

The need to carry out this research to create that bespoke design plan is precisely why it’s important to seek out the services of a professional office design company that can use its client-focused expertise to help you create an office that places your people’s workplace well-being at the heart of its design.

Three yellow lampshade hanging from the ceiling.

​Improve the effectiveness of your office, with Oaktree Interiors

If you’re looking to improve your office interiors to better cater towards the mental and physical well-being of your employees, then why not get in touch with the expert team here at Oaktree Interiors?

 

We are proud to be able to offer you a high-quality, client-focused office design and refurbishment service that not only looks at improving the environment of your workplace for today, boosting workplace wellbeing, but also for the future ahead too.

 

Our mission is to familiarise ourselves with your business, create a design that suits your requirements and manage the project with the least disruption. The result is always a build that is of the highest standard, delivered on time and within the set budget.

 

To learn more, you can get in touch with our dedicated office design team at 0333 254 4338 or you can send e-mail enquiries to hello@oaktreeoffice.com