Healthy workplace

Fitness, fruit cups or even massage sessions offered in the workplace; these are all initiatives that are flourishing within companies and that aim to improve the conditions of well-being at work. This trend reflects the new concern to meet the basic needs of employees beyond the minimum health and safety regulations. And what if the fulfilment of each individual became a global objective for the company, now that we know that motivation and satisfaction are tangible levers for the company’s performance?

In this article we look at the essential components of the physical working environment; the materials, light and colours that shape the atmosphere and mood of the place while acting on our senses and mood, and therefore ultimately on the work that will be done there.

Healthy space for healthy bodies

Restructuring or relocation is an opportunity for organisations to consider the right office concept and to opt for more efficient use strategies. It is also an opportunity to prioritise investments in solutions that are sustainable and whose intrinsic qualities will promote the performance of each employee.

Employee satisfaction is difficult to measure other than by opinion, but there are a number of elements that are crucial to designing a healthy environment.

Ideally, an infrastructure base should be designed to encourage movement and interaction, and provide access to natural light and adequate ventilation. Options to reduce sedentary behaviour such as height-adjustable desks, collaborative spaces, and even outdoor circulation areas will encourage dynamism and create a breeding ground for good health practices. The key is to develop solutions based on the issues at hand, gathering information on functioning and preferences and incorporating a good understanding of the operational patterns of each user group.

Sensory design

A considerable part of our working time is spent indoors, during which we have an intuitive relationship with all the components of our environment, air, light, sound, thermal conditions. This is why light intensity is crucial and it is recommended that a specific strategy be developed for each room according to the activities that will be carried out there. Like colours, they must be chosen with care because each of them acts in a specific way on our cognitive memory, creating sensory cues that also have a direct resonance on decision making and memorization.

Health is everyone’s business

Offering more flexibility with a variety of possibilities regarding the location and settings of the workplace contributes to the creativity and quality of the work performed. Above all, companies will gain in employee engagement by offering flexible solutions that meet the expectations of the occupants and allow each employee to become personally involved in the management of their work environment, and by implication their health.