a guide to workplace wellbeing design

What is workplace wellness design?

For us the concept of workplace wellness is about using wellbeing interior design combined with a number of strategies to ‘hack’ an office environment for productivity, concentration, collaboration and a range of both physical and mental health measures.

Tools at our fingertips range from active design, lighting, recharge rooms, improved air quality, flooring, decor, furniture, space planning, signage, food and drink, wellness programs and more.

Company culture and workplace wellness

You can go a step further by fostering a company culture that, for example, accepts standing meetings as normal, or that encourages up to two person walking meetings if there's a courtyard, garden, rooftop or park accessible nearby.

This starts from the C-suite down in terms of what is deemed acceptable or even admirable behavior, and then recognizing that there are many other ways to approach the work day now, for example by using a standing desk to stay upright for most of the day instead of slouched at a desk.

That can be a game changer especially for anyone who's ever experienced back pain, just by being on your feet, and having a small mat under your feet makes a massive difference, such as avoiding the mid-afternoon energy dip.

What is Wellness Lighting?

Increasingly easy to integrate into our home and work spaces, wellness lighting can be something as simple as a desk light that pumps different colored tones of light in your direction during the day to ensure you have adequate amounts of blue-white light during the day and, equally, a more amber hued light after dark, whilst still maintaining the necessary energy levels and promoting deep slight at night.

Circadian lighting systems follow this same routine every day, mimicking the rising and setting of the sun in tune with the seasons, rather than trying to create an ‘always on’ interior environment that can mess with our sleeping patterns.

Productivity and workplace wellness

When we talk about workplace design or healthy co-working office design and its impact on worker productivity we are typically talking about productivity improvements arin the 5%-6% changes although it can often feel like a lot more for those who manage to side-step the afternoon energy crash.

Acoustics and focus in the workplace

Flooring can make a real difference both in terms of acoustics as hard surfaces reflect or ‘bounce’ noise around and reduce the acoustic quality in a workspace, for example magnifying conversations between colleagues on the other side of the office.

So putting in an acoustic underlay, with a flooring tile that perhaps has a visual connection to nature, is recycled or upcycled, and is installed with a natural adhesive, and can eventually be taken back by the the flooring supply company at the end of its life in 5-10 years time, all of this can complete change the acoustics in an office whilst fitting in with a sustainability strategy as well.

If there's a rebound in terms of echo in your workplace, then look at the flooring first of all and try to cover it with rugs, then consider more soft furnishings, acoustic paint or acoustic ceiling panels, for a complete acoustic strategy.

Sustainability and wellbeing in workplace design

Integrating elements of sustainability and human wellbeing in interiors for a workplace is now the holy grail of design for us at Biofilico. It's also like a Pandora's Box once you start looking under the hood of everything. How do you prioritize what matters most? Sometimes there are compromises to be made, in fact, most of the time but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying!

For example having a work desk positioned next to a window that attracts plenty of natural daylight is a real help in terms of resting the eyes, boosting energy levels, provide access to fresh air outside, perhaps combined with a smart desk light for the evenings, while using a standing desk with a sustainable bamboo desktop, such as one from FULLY.

Standing desks in a healthy office

A standing desk can promote movement and reduce sitting time obviously but it is always best to pair it with a stool, in order to take some weight off the feet from time to time, giving us an option to take a call on our feet while moving around the office, then come back to sit down briefly while writing an important email, before returning to standing position again to complete some more administrative or creative tasks.

For more details on the role of ergonomic furniture in a healthy workplace interior see our blog post here.

Indoor air quality at work

We all know how important it is to bring plants into our work spaces and there are half a dozen that are especially good for this purpose, they are air-purifiers approved by a NASA study. It is recommended to combine them with an air purifier at home, or enhanced carbon filters in a commercial HVAC system in a shared office scenario.

Healthy materials are another key component in an indoor air quality strategy at work. Wellbeing interiors specify healthy, non-toxic materials such as wood, bamboo, cork, linen, wool, leather even recycled materials with health product declarations (ingredient lists showing they contain no harmful chemicals).

What is active design in the workplace?

Today there is an increasing understanding amongst workplace consultants, healthy building experts and HR specialists that sitting at a desk all day long without moving, with your hips at a 90 degree angle, your back hunched over, is simply no longer adisable. There are other options out there now, workers do not need to put their bodies (and minds) through that.

Part of the answer is in fostering incidental and frequent movement during the work day. Another response is creating different workspaces designed for different tasks around the office, implicitly encouraging movement between those spaces during your workday.

It’s all about understanding that connection between your sleep and your mental performance, your nutrition, and your, your performance at work and also what you're doing with your body during those hours of work so even if it's just getting outside or finding a bit of space to have a stretch, getting out your yoga mat or rolling out some stiff muscles on a foam roller, or even five minutes of burpees, bodyweight squats and press-ups, it' doesn’t really matter but staying active is the key. Keep your blood flowing and your energy levels high. It may just be a quick movement snack but it can be as good as a shot of coffee for some people!