Office Wellness: How Corporates Restructure Their Office Spaces

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed lots of things in human lives, particularly focussing more on a healthy lifestyle and instilling a keen sense of awareness on social interactions in terms of hygiene. The notion of office wellness is not a new concept but it has gained tremendous ground in corporate spaces post-pandemic. Large and small corporations have prepared their office spaces for re-entry in a post-Covid-19 environment, taking appropriate steps to prioritise the health and safety of their employees, visitors and other people. The employee well-being is surpassed beyond the usual medical check-ups and insurance, focussing more on a culture of hygiene and holistic well-being including physical, mental, social and community.

Many corporations have already been witnessing a change and long-term vision toward the integration of well-being in the office culture. For example, many new offices are designed in a way to promote productivity and minimises distractions. There are systems implemented to prevent fatigue and stimulate brain function. The office spaces are now encouraged to install good lighting systems, inspirational posters, soothing colours, standing desks, facilitating healthy snacks and even giving easy access to nature and water bodies.

Important Reasons to Offer Employee Well-Being at Work

·        Improve employee health behaviour

·        Reduce health risks

·        Reduce health care costs

·        Improve creativity and productivity

·        Decrease absenteeism

·        Help improve employee recruitment and retention

·        Build and help sustain high employee morale

Future of Work Concept – Trends Driving the New Post-Pandemic Offices

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, many offices didn’t care much about employees’ wellness, both physical and mental. Post-pandemic the scenario has changed drastically, especially in big corporations. Employers are now shaping staff policy keeping in mind their mental and physical wellness. It is a significant aspect of the post-pandemic world.

Employers are under increasing pressure to integrate indoor and outdoor environments, encourage healthy activities, and foster a sense of psychological well-being as workers around the world reassess the significance of health and well-being. Employers now have a greater responsibility to determine how their post-pandemic workplaces and policies might enhance health and well-being.

People who spend at least a portion of their average workweek outside their offices have higher workplace happiness, job dedication, and engagement. Moreover, they have higher scores on markers of innovation. In fact, returning to a totally on-site structure would put a business in danger of losing up to 39% of its staff. By structuring work around employee-driven flexibility, cultural connectivity, and human leadership, companies must develop a new, human-centric model for the hybrid environment.

Remote and hybrid work doesn’t guarantee that all employees will equally share the advantages of this change. For instance, 76% of managers claim that local employees are more likely to be promoted than remote ones. When proximity bias is taken into account, it becomes clear that women and workers from underrepresented groups are more likely to desire to take advantage of flexible work arrangements. Businesses must minimise biases in hiring and performance evaluations.

Traditional measurements of employees’ experience indicators such as engagement surveys and turnover metrics aren’t giving the whole picture. Most corporate organisations have invested in the well-being of employees over the last two years, yet most employees are still not able to take advantage of these schemes. Corporate organisations must offer employees’ well-being offerings as a part of their EVP (Employee Value Proposition) to attract as well as retain talents.

Essential Elements in Office Spaces

There are many important aspects concerning the wellness of employees. The foremost factor is obviously a healthy work environment, both in terms of facilities and mental peace where an employee can fully realise his or her potential and sincerely work. The next aspect will be evaluating the employees and confirming the changes in their behavioural patterns. Many corporate companies have started various wellness programmes such as meditation, stress management sessions, and education of their staff on the various mental health resources and other methods.

Many studies have found that many employees prefer working in office spaces because they found it amicable, friendly, stress relieving and even a place for self-development. This is the primary reason many corporates have restructured their office spaces for overall office wellness. A great workplace is built on the employee-informed vision of what a company needs to be successful.

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