HOW TO: Boost employee wellbeing through office design

Creating a healthier, happier place of work should start in the office. Caine Bird, HR Contributor and Writer, offers some advice…

Whilst workplace wellbeing tackles a spectrum of ideas about how work and health are interrelated, the role of office design is one that’s often overshadowed.

The impact of a workplace environment on employee productivity has been measured many times before – and the consensus is clearer than stating the obvious about chaotic, unstructured offices and how this is experienced negatively. The bottom line is that unhealthy office design takes away from employee wellbeing, shrinking their engagement and productivity. 

To combat that, these three takeaways on how offices can be managed can be implemented in almost any workplace setting. 

1. Front of House Is More Relevant Than Ever

With so many building visitors, having the most relevant and appropriate services to maximise their management is critical. Not only is it important for security purposes, but front of house services – that is, the team that greets your visitors – help form part of the initial impression visitors make within the first encounter with your organisation. 

Reception, or front of house, is all about building an experience. Your employees want memorable, healthy connections to their place of work, starting from the moment they walk through the front door. A dedicated team is responsible for ensuring that employees feel safe, comfortable, and welcome – this role is critical in underpinning employee engagement, using an excellent sense of hospitality to make sure they can feel happy at work. 

2. Security Underpins a Sense of Safety

Enhancing building security is a way of making employees feel even safer at work. The certainty that their health and safety is taken care of is paramount to ensuring that they can comfortably relax at work. Corporate security covers everything from regulating visitors, to patrolling carparks. It plays a role in reassuring staff that they’re safe; security is, typically, at its most important during the arrival process. This means it complements front of house services and acts as a lynchpin in an employee’s journey as they navigate the office. 

3. Is Your Office Hygienic?

Hygiene is more important than ever. In addition to limiting coronavirus risk, clean workplaces reduce the chance of any other infectious illness spreading, down to the common cold or flu. Proactive managers can create healthy offices by ensuring regular and thorough cleaning schedules are met, and that waste is managed sustainably through quality FM. The opportunity for a happier, healthier building starts with a proactive mind about how to better design an experience that your employees will remember.