Why Wellbeing Matters
One of the most significant trends of the post-pandemic workspace, ‘workspace wellbeing’ has become a much more talked about concept over the last 15 months. The mental and physical challenges caused by working at home alone for months on end have prompted much thought around how to maximise workforce wellbeing in a post-pandemic era.
While wellbeing is often defined as health, whether physical or mental, it actually goes much further than this. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that “Workplace Wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organisation.”
All of your people have different goals, values, and ambitions, so the meaning of wellbeing differs from person to person, as well as the best way to achieve it. However, the benefits of having a motivated and engaged workforce are huge, and the payoffs of investing in the wellbeing of your people can be massive. There are several elements of a successful workspace furniture strategy that can boost wellbeing (and consequently engagement and productivity) in your office.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics have a direct impact on the health of your team. If your furniture has inadequate ergonomics your people will soon feel it in their backs, necks, and shoulders. Insufficient ergonomics can also lead to higher levels of fatigue through inactivity and poor posture. Not only does this lead to long-term physical problems, but the irritation and distractions caused by poor ergonomics further damage the emotional health of your people. This leads to higher levels of absenteeism and frictions in your workspace, causing a devastating downward spiral.
However, high-quality ergonomic furniture can ensure your people have the correct posture, not only avoiding health issues but improving focus and productivity. Not only can investing in an ergonomic workplace eliminate health issues, but it can also improve the wellbeing of your people by removing harmful distractions and frictions throughout their day.
Variety
Cramming workers into bare desk cubicles like battery hens is (thankfully) rare in the 21st century but expecting your people to remain motivated and focussed all day every day at the same bland desk damages their wellbeing. At the other end of the scale, many modern workspace designs favour more outgoing people, and while this boosts the productivity of extroverts, it harms their ability to focus as well as impacting the effectiveness of the more introverted members of your team.
To create a supportive environment, your workspace must maximise wellbeing for all your team, no matter their role, superiority, or personality. By providing an office with a range of environments to suit the varied needs of your people, you can help keep them refreshed, focussed and healthy. The modern office needs to be designed to adapt and evolve. Cutting-edge workspaces complement the needs of staff rather than forcing them to conform to a rigid and unsuitable design.
Social Spaces
The greatest disadvantage of remote working is inarguably the inevitable diminishing of the social capital that holds teams together and is the bedrock of synergy. When isolated, your people will become less engaged and collaborative, and that can also happen in the physical office. More time spent at a desk doesn’t necessarily mean more work produced. By keeping your people mentally fresh and open, they can become more innovative and productive in their roles.
A great social space can offer a retreat from the pressure and sometimes blinkering mentality of the day job. In a fresh and inspiring environment, your people can connect informally and build a sense of community and culture. At a time when employees are under more pressure than ever, it’s crucial to provide them with the opportunity to switch off and relax when they need to. This will improve their emotional wellbeing, creating real connections with co-workers that make work a much more enjoyable place to be.
Create an Experience!
Poorly designed workspaces limit productivity and reduce motivation by adding unnecessary friction to our working day. A bland, featureless workstation can become overwhelming if staff are expected to just sit there, all day, every day. Many companies underestimate the importance of office design and select off-brand and/ or unimaginative designs. When surrounded by this environment, your people lose interest and focus, damaging motivation and productivity.
In a time when many employees have had their eyes opened to the benefits of working from home, the workspace needs to offer what the kitchen table can’t. Experience is assuming an ever more important role in workspace wellbeing. With the needs of your people and business evolving as we emerge from the pandemic, adaptability will be key to maintaining a great office experience. Through flexible furniture, you can create premium experiences for your people, maximising their wellbeing.
Workspace Wellbeing & Furniture
Furniture can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of your people. At a time when the need for skilled and innovative workforces has never been greater, a cutting-edge workspace will increase their wellbeing, enabling them to achieve their full potential and create amazing results for your business.
A user-centred workspace that prioritises wellbeing can have a dramatic positive effect on the happiness and performance of your people. Through human-centric furniture curation and design, you can have a huge positive impact on the well-being of your people. Offering your people varied and dynamic environments to support them in their roles and considering their comfort can significantly increase their wellbeing and consequently their capability to perform.
By placing wellbeing at the centre of the way you think about work, you can ensure your people can all pursue and achieve their own definition of wellbeing. This will have tremendous power in your workspace, unleashing a level of engagement and synergy you never thought possible. In an age when the only thing your competitors can’t recreate is your people, maximising workspace wellbeing will offer you a definitive edge in your market.
Not sure where to start? Learn more about our furniture consulting today. Gaining a deep understanding of your requirements and the way that your business operates is the key to providing tailored furniture solutions that will create the most significant impact on your operational performance.