Since the pandemic, mental health has been high up on the agenda for employers. With everyone forced to stay indoors, what we may have taken for granted seems like a far off notion. I'm all for more remote work, even when the pandemic is over. However, employers are well aware that if they are to get their employees to proactively return to the office, they'll need to show them that it's a healthy environment. In fact, it needs to be healthier than it has ever been before. In this contributed post, here are some suggestions to think about the office in a healthier and more expansive way.
Walking meetings
Perhaps sitting in a boardroom is no longer going to be a viable option for all meetings. For weekly catch-up and task-setting meetings, it may be more advisable to go on walking meetings. This is when the managers and other members of the team who are involved in setting the agenda, go for a walk around the building or perhaps in a local park. They talk together about the tasks that need to be done and how best to approach them. Being surrounded by fresh air, sunshine and having the chance to walk and talk, takes some of the intensity out of a normal company meeting. It may help introverts to play a more central role in the exchange of ideas.
Workout room
It's time that offices allowed employees to workout at work itself. A fitness room could go a long way to making people feel more comfortable and release some nervous energy. A simple room like this, might have any of the following.
Yoga mats
Aerobics equipment, such as skipping rope, steps, tension bands
Plastic dumbbells filled with sand
Treadmills
Workout bike
Put these things into a workout room with glass walls so those who are working out can still feel part of the office and not as if they are locked away in a different part of the floor.
Temperature control
Never underestimate how much ambient temperature matters for the average worker. They don’t want to take layers off or put them on, while working. It's difficult to get a nice wholesome ambient temperature in the office without a good air conditioning system. However, this is exacerbated when your HVAC unit is not working properly. Just because it's not broken down doesn’t mean it's fine. Speak with a HVAC Repair service to see if your systems are working at the utmost. They are a 24-hour calling service, and they have 99% of parts available so they can fix the problem usually on the first visit.
A lounge area
It seems that offices that don’t have a dedicated lounge area, suffer from employees leaving their workstations far more regularly. This means there could be a break in concentration. It's vital that you are considerate about creating a lounge that would benefit your employees. Sofas, chairs, plants, coffee machines and tables, as well as magazine racks and large windows are the key ingredients to making this happen.
Yes, offices can and must be made healthier. Employees want to know their boss cares about them and doesn’t see them as expendable and replaceable drones.