According to research published by the World Bank, healthier workplaces also generate healthier profits. Or, to make the same point but in a rather more daunting (yet perhaps more memorable) way, a survey by the American Psychological Association found that unhealthy workplaces contribute overwhelmingly to employee stress – which costs employers across the country a whopping $300 billion each year in stress-related healthcare and absenteeism.
Add it all up, and implementing a healthy office makeover is good for both employee wellness and the bottom-line. Below, we highlight 3 key ways you can achieve this goal through an affordable office renovation or refresh:
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Fewer Walls
Research published by Harvard Business Review has confirmed what most employees have known for decades: cubicles are the enemy!
Not only do they impede collaboration and communication, but they give rise to all kinds of annoying, stressful practices – like colleagues who virtually disappear for weeks on end, colleagues who set up camp (complete with coffee machine, heater, radio, etc.), colleagues who fail to comprehend that CUBICLES ARE NOT SOUNDPROOF, and so on.
Removing cubicles – if not entirely, then at least significantly – can go a long way towards achieving a healthy office makeover; one that employees will celebrate and cheer for years to come!
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Better Light
Most workplaces are improperly lit, either because they are too bright, too dim, or the lighting type and layout contributes to eyestrain (conventional fluorescent lights are notorious for causing this!).
As such, a dramatic yet cost-effective way to implement a healthy office makeover is to improve the overall lighting. This could mean installing windows or skylights to bring in more natural light, as well as installing high quality, energy efficiency LED lighting in suitable locations so that employees do not feel as if they are playing center field during a night game at Wrigley Field, or working in a photographer’s dark room!
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Reconfigured Layout
Surprisingly, one of the most effective ways to implement a healthy office makeover does not involve knocking down walls (or putting some up). Rather, it focuses on reconfiguring the layout so that employees have more room to move around – and therefore increase circulation and energy levels.
What’s more, a new and improved layout can improve workflows, which further boosts productivity and performance. For example, certain teams can be co-located to facilitate interaction and collaboration, equipment such as printers and shredders can be centrally located, and so on.
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At Key Interiors, we have decades of experience helping business of all shapes and sizes implement a healthy office makeover. We have the experience and insight to improve both employee happiness and the bottom-line!
