Green days
With offices already fully occupied after two years of disruption and change, the role and importance of wellness in the workplace will become a top priority. Research in this area continues to evolve and shows that there is a strong relationship between employee health, well-being and engagement with productivity and overall business performance.
One of the main focuses of many businesses is office interior design, which is constantly being rethought to both creatively and functionally support the goals of increased productivity and well-being. This means understanding how design can inspire, stimulate or even motivate employees, rather than allowing empty or underused space to go to waste. Design is often perceived by employees as more than just a backdrop, but as a creative space that influences their outcome.
But how can facility and office managers create a workplace wellness-focused culture through greener design? Even better, what can we learn from sustainable design that can help empower and inspire employees?
The term "green building" is gaining more and more importance in all areas of life. There is a new demand for sustainable design, a field that has outgrown purely social roots. Many leading companies are now trying to minimize their carbon footprint by adopting sustainable design in their office space, for example with more natural décor.
Greener office design can lead to a variety of outcomes, whether it's using office plants to create peace and tranquility or helping employees be inspired and creative.
This means creating an inspiring environment that can balance various human priorities such as health and productivity while improving building performance. This entails a demand for low-carbon, resource-efficient building elements and services that can enhance the workplace in new and meaningful ways. Design choices affect productivity, well-being and health, but a truly sustainable office can help reduce workplace toxicity.
Green and sustainable initiatives often complement each other in the way they are used in design to appear non-toxic and environmentally friendly. This means choosing products and services that can be recycled, renewed, or at least aligned with the promotion of non-toxic design elements.
Through innovation, sustainable design has become more than just cosmetic. Rather, sustainability depends on how well the office meets environmental goals.
Research shows that pollution, poor air quality, and other toxins, especially in the workplace, can affect employee productivity levels. But there are changes and interventions that managers can use to promote employee health through improved design.
Biophilia in design is associated with the positive impact of green spaces, nature and biodiversity on our mental health. There appear to be a few limits on how nature can inspire workplace design, whether it be to boost productivity, boost creativity, or even help with stress.
Product design and life cycles must be consistent with sustainable development goals. For example, ways to innovate to create a new non-toxic biopolymer material for artificial green walls. The focus on biopolymers will help create a more renewable and environmentally friendly product, as well as add a dynamic design element to previously gaudy spaces, further reducing actual maintenance costs and the need for additional maintenance staff who visit the offices weekly.
This is especially important in a COVID environment to reduce the number of people outside the workforce coming into the office. Live plants need weekly maintenance in some areas.
Biophilia can be beneficial in many ways, including using artificial foliage and green wall systems to create barriers to privacy, control acoustics, or even as a soothing counterbalance to a busy and energetic office. For urban offices, especially those in the city, green elements can help soften and even enliven the impression of a workplace that can be overwhelmingly grey.
Through the open use of sustainable design elements, including natural solutions such as artificial plant walls, the office becomes more interesting for its employees. This can lead to increased productivity, health, and well-being without sacrificing value or creativity. FM can help create a healthy work environment through environment and design without sacrificing what really matters.