Stress is the bane of the modern office.
It has a tremendous effect on the wellbeing of workers across the globe, as well as the productivity of businesses.
Stress affects your workers in many ways. It impacts sleep, causes headaches and upset stomachs, as well as raised blood pressure.
In financial terms, stress costs businesses across the globe billions of dollars each year. In fact, in the US, it is estimated to be $300 billion USD, annually.
For these reasons, it’s so important that we reduce stress in the workplace. We all want to see happier, more relaxed workers, as well as less productivity lost.
Here’s how you can do that with savvy office design.
Provide Great Breakout Spaces
Time away from work is a key component to fighting off stress.
Therefore, by ensuring that your office is equipped with great breakout spaces, your staff will be able to relax and recharge away from their desk.
For instance, a space with couches, ambient lighting and plants will help your staff to unwind a little, whilst on their breaks.
When your employees are able to take some time to destress in a relaxing space, there will be numerous benefits.
Prioritise Light
The amount of light in an office has a big effect on the stress levels of workers.
Moreover, the more natural light that flows through a workspace, the more relaxed and healthy your staff will be.
In fact, natural light has a profound impact on the wellbeing and mental health of your staff.
Those who are exposed to natural light at work report lower levels of stress, better sleep, less cases of eye strain and lower instances of depression and anxiety.
Offer Quiet Working Spaces
Some staff become overwhelmed with the myriad distractions in a modern office space.
For example, whilst open plan offices are now ‘the norm’, a huge amount of research shows that noise distraction in these offices causes great stress to staff.
Allay this by providing quiet areas for your workers to retreat to with their work, and avoid the distraction that comes with a busy office.
Encourage Socialisation
The Swedish term ‘fika’ means to take a coffee break with employees, to sit down and chat, and just get away from work for 10 minutes.
Each culture has their own version of this, and they all help to keep your workers relaxed, refreshed, and on task.
In fact, Bank of America gained productivity to the tune of $15 million per year after encouraging workers to spend more time socialising over a coffee.
Encouraging your workers to socialise on breaks, or even after work, can help to promote a relaxed working environment, and better communication.
Get the Colour Right
The colours that you use in your office have a big effect on the mood of your workers.
For example, darker or dreary colours can tend to make an office feel oppressive, and lower the mood of your workers.
Whites can make a space feel larger and brighter, but too much white will become boring, and lacks stimulation.
Colours like red and blue can energise staff, but too much of it can be overwhelming.
Therefore, when it comes to picking the colours for your office, it’s best to try and strike a balance so that you can aid the stress levels of your employees.
Use a good measure of bright and invigorating colours, to create a happy, relaxed feeling in your office environment.
To discuss your office design, get in touch with Niche Projects here.
