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Combining employee health with great office design

December, 2017

Want your office to be impressive to visitors without impacting on employee health? We have some great ideas for you. Discover how to make your office Instagram-ready in just three steps.

One of the dilemmas of the modern office space is whether to opt for ergonomic care, or a great looking office. Often, when it comes to furniture and accessories, the two don’t mix – but there are some clever, crafty ways to make your office Instagram-worthy and attractive to visitors while ensuring your employees’ health remains at the heart of your office design.

Here are just a few things you can do so you can go modern while staying health-conscious:

Invest in better furniture

Cheaper ergonomic furniture tends to value function over fashion – and there’s no problem with that, but that style of furniture isn’t the type of thing that sits well in great office design. However, that doesn’t mean you should choose attractive decor over what’s usable – or you’ll soon find office productivity levels dropping.

Instead, invest in better furniture that will not only last longer but has been carefully designed to look beautiful for years to come. Think of attractive desk chairs, ergonomic and modern standing desks and even beautiful yet comfortable meeting room furniture that’s sure to impress your visitors.

Wellbeing first

There are multiple elements in the average workplace that can be improved by putting employee wellbeing first; it’s just a case of a little creative thinking. According to this recent article by People Management, many different things can affect the workplace; from space and freedom to move, to improving quality of air by using HVAC systems and no-emission products, alongside providing that all-important natural light, are all simple yet effective methods to improve well-being in no time.

Utilising plants, windows and softer carpeted flooring are other cheap yet effective ways to improve a workplace in next to no time, and are tried and tested methods for turning a drab office into a vibrant and productive place of work.

Opt for better walls

Walls are a fantastic way to customise any office space without any impact on the health of employees. Creative offices worldwide use their walls for any number of things – from giant blackboards to huge, inspiring graphics. Customising your office walls is a quick and easy way to upgrade a dated office quickly and with little cost, as well as proving wellbeing via reduced noise pollution. The ideal office uses every bit of space for a purpose, and walls are no exception to that rule. Using light and bright colours alongside large windows allow more natural light in – a much healthier form of light for your office than artificial lighting.

Choose subtle yet suitable flooring

Heavy wear flooring doesn’t have to be unattractive – by opting for beautiful wood-effect or patterned flooring that’s designed to last, you can ensure that your flooring is up to health and safety standards for longer, and can put up with a lot of traffic and use without wear and tear. An office that looks new is an office that looks modern – and flooring that looks new for longer is ideal for any office environment where style is key.

As we referred to earlier, an active and moving office is a happy office. If your office is open-plan but needs a little more definition, consider keeping the space open with glass partition walls or screens and utilising clever floor definition to separate spaces. For true fluidity, flooring can provide markers for areas that can be sectioned off temporarily, for meetings or privacy; not to mention offering different feels and styles between spaces.

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