It’s no secret that the expectations we have of workspaces have changed since the pandemic, with a growing demand for wellness focused workspaces and a call for organisations to focus more on employee wellbeing. After all, our workspace and how we interact with it can have huge impacts on how we collaborate with those around us, and ultimately contribute to our overall performance at work.
Wellness focused workspaces don’t only benefit your employees, but can go as far as to increase productivity, retention and even decrease absences. Increasingly research is showing us that we can no longer rely on traditional workspace alone, with one in five workers (20%) in the UK taking time off work in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress (Mental Health UK 2024 Burnout Report, page 9).
So how can office space providers meet this new demand? What does a wellness focused workspace look like, and what are the challenges associated with getting it right?
Physical environment and mental health
There are two main avenues that are crucial when it comes to wellness focused workspace: the physical environment and the mental health of the employees.
Physical environment
Wellness has been proven to link intricately with nature, and incorporating positive changes to the physical environment of the workspace has been shown to improve employee wellbeing. Providing plants, green spaces, and an increased amount of natural light are just some of the examples seen to improve productivity.
The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace found that perceptions of wellbeing can increase by up to 15% when people work in surroundings that incorporate natural elements, providing that connection to nature, in contrast to those who have no contact to nature in their workplace (page 19).
Workspace providers have taken note of this. From rooftop gardens to spaces almost resembling small jungles, workspaces are increasingly designed with the aim of bringing the outside in and maximise the positive impacts of nature on mental wellbeing.
Uncommon, which runs five central London flexible workspaces, has communal spaces bedecked with plants, and cites the importance of plants to bringing a ‘visual uplift to a building’, as well as the health benefits of replacing CO2 with oxygen.
But nature isn’t the only way to bring wellness into the physical workspace. Positive effects on mental wellbeing can even come from something as simple as changing the colour scheme of the workspace, with the same study revealing that 67% of respondents ’report feeling happy when walking into bright office environments accented with green, yellow or blue colours’ (page 12). Flexible workspaces offer a wide range of options on interior design, but DeskLodge in Bristol stands out in not only decorating in bright colours, but bringing fun elements to their workspaces – from spaceships to Alice in Wonderland themed rooms!
Mental health
Any initiative put in place to improve and support employee mental health should work to foster a comfortable, destigmatized environment. Encouraging connections between employees through the likes of dedicated wellness workshops and peer support programmes can increase mutual support. This in turn helps increase mental health awareness within the workplace, making sure conversations surrounding wellness isn’t a topic to be avoided or degraded.
Increasingly workspace is being designed with this in mind. Spaces for these very workspaces and programmes are being created – spaces with soft furnishings, booths and quiet areas, for example.
Meditation rooms and fitness studios are even present in some workspace buildings. Bruntwood offer dedicated space for yoga and Pilates classes in their Manchester buildings, alongside rooms for physiotherapy and other treatments.
Wellness as a long-term commitment
Of course, promoting a wellness focused workspace doesn’t come without challenges. For a lot of organisations it’s likely that financial constraints are their biggest hurdle. Implementing physical changes to the office, as well as providing wellness focused spaces for meditation and yoga can be a significant investment.
However, wellness is worth the long-term commitment, especially as we’re seeing a heightened need and desire for these types of workspace. In fact, for many businesses working to incentivize staff back into the office more often, the benefits of a wellness focused workspace can play a big part in the draw. The CEO of Boots for example has expressed a specific focus on creating a “much more fun and inspiring place” for employees, alongside an expectation of a full-time return to the office.
In providing these wellness focused spaces now, workspace providers can help organisations address an employee need which is growing in importance for many people’s working lives.
Resources and References
Mental Health UK 2024 Burnout Report https://euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/19145241/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2024.pdf
The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace https://greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Human-Spaces-Report-Biophilic-Global_Impact_Biophilic_Design.pdf
