Office Design For Good Mental Health
The year 2020 is a year we will not forget. It has tested our wellbeing and mental health. Our lives have been upended and, for many, the way work has been transformed. A growing body of research shows that healthy and happy workers are more productive and companies are taking note.
The corporate focus on health and wellbeing is part of a wider acknowledgment of the advantages of mindfulness and mental health, both in the workplace and in general. There is now a focus on allowing people to experience different modes of thought throughout the day, through meditation rooms, sleep pods and increasingly dynamic and well-designed workplaces.
There is no doubt that stress, anxiety and depression have risen as people grapple with lockdown restrictions and are forced into a new way of living. Employers are taking a fresh look at the physical design of office space and how it can play an important role in improving their employees’ mental health.
Numerous studies confirm that employees’ mental wellbeing is crucial for engagement at work. Research by the University of Warwick in the UK, for example, found a 12 percent boost in productivity when people are happy, with companies that invest more in employee support reaping greater benefits. Now, more than ever, mental health in the office is an important design topic.
The office should be a place that can heal, not hinder, our mental health.