Did you know that the average office worker will spend almost 1,700 hours a year sitting at their desk with a computer or laptop? That’s a good portion of our day that we spend seated in an office environment! Studies have shown that office fatigue, eye strain, and stress can quickly build-up at the office. The good news is that by implementing some healthy office design ideas into your workspace, you can transform your office design and create significant short to long term health benefits.
In this week’s featured article, the Future Fitouts team shares 9 healthy office space tips and tricks that you can implement today to improve productivity, boost creativity, and create lasting health benefits to your office space.
9 Healthy Office Design Ideas You Can Implement Today!
Design for Health
1.Invest in an Air Purifier – Ionise the air around your workspace with a quality air purifier.
Helping to keep the air around you free from harmful pollutants, allergens, bacteria, and viruses; A quality air purifier is portable, can fit under your desk, and can be up to 99.6% effective at keeping the air clean. Pricing has come way down since their first introduction, and this healthy office design addition has immediate and long-term health benefits!
Pro Tip: Check in with your office manager if this is something you can add and ensure you purchase one with ‘silent mode’.
2. Ergonomic Chair – A healthy work space addition that boosts your productivity and improves your health.
The average office worker spends a large portion of their day seated and this can place a lot of strain and pressure on their body with the potential for long term negative health effects. Having an ergonomic chair and related office furniture can correct your posture, help with back and neck pain, and improve overall blood circulation. With the right healthy work space furniture, you’ll quickly find your desk has suddenly become a lot more comfortable!
Pro Tip: Choose an ergonomic chair that offers adjustable seat height, lumbar support, armrests, and an adjustable backrest for the best benefits.
3. A Hit Of Green – Embrace the tranquility and harness your inner green thumb.
Studies have shown that adding a touch of nature to your workspace can help reduce stress, boost creativity, focus, and improve attention. Your very own indoor plant will also grow as you grow in your organisation. While you may both start in the mailroom, it won’t be long before you share that corner office.
Pro Tip: Choose an indoor plant that is easy to care for and only has a small floor footprint.
A Touch of Personalisation
4. A Touch Of Home – Something small that puts a smile on your face.
We’ve all seen the meme of our favourite four-legged friend sitting in the office drawer. While this will certainly bring a smile to one’s face, it’s probably not acceptable in most workplaces. Instead, opt for a picture of your pet, family, or favourite beach instead. A personalised office is one that can bring a smile to your face throughout a long day.
Pro Tip: When it comes to bringing your home to work, less is more. Keep it professional, a picture or two is the perfect touch.
5. Accessorise – Sometimes it’s the little things.
Add some accessories to your workspace to improve functionality and personalisation. Whether it’s your favourite mug you got from your last vacation, a wireless charging station for your phone, or that perfectly comfy seat cushion; Touching up your workspace with a few accessories that streamline your day is a great step to a healthy office space.
Pro Tip: Find the balance between accessories with high-functionality, aesthetic design, and a touch of personalisation. Keep your accessories to a minimum to avoid clutter.
6. A Work Of Art – A personalised office that inspires and motivates your day.
Highlight your favourite artist by hanging a piece of art in your office. Better yet, if you have a bit of inner artist lurking within you, try painting your own. Known to relieve stress, improve motivation, boost creativity, and lessen the boredom of those monotonous tasks, a piece of art is a simple healthy office design addition that adds a nice touch to your desk.
Pro Tip: Consider changing out your art monthly or seasonally for an added touch of personalisation.
Tech-up Your Space
7. Lighting Matters – A healthy office space that reduces the strain on your eyes with the correct lighting.
Whether you are working from home or at the office. Improving your lighting can reduce the effects of eye strain. Aim for natural lighting where possible and switch out fluorescent lights for LEDs. If office lighting is not as aspect you have control over, there’s still some good news! Studies have shown that blue light from digital devices may be correlated to eye strain. By filtering the blue light from computer screens, you may find that your eyes are less tired at the end of the day.
Pro Tip: Invest in a blue screen filter for your digital devices. For a completely free option, see if your device has a night mode that filters out blue light.
8. Dock Your Laptop – Boost your productivity with a multi-screen approach.
Installing a laptop docking station that you can quickly plug your laptop into to gain access to additional displays can provide a significant boost to your productivity. Tasks become more streamlined when there’s no longer a need to keep clicking between windows. Use one screen for data entry, and another for your research and you’ll quickly find the benefit of the additional screen makes your computer-related tasks a breeze.
Pro Tip: Two screens is good, three screens is great, four or more is probably too many.
9. Noise-Cancelling Headphones – A healthy work space that focuses on the task at hand by reducing noise.
In modern office design, the open plan office is becoming increasingly common. As the cubicles come down, it can sometimes get a little noisy making it difficult to concentrate. By investing in a quality pair of noise-cancelling headphones, you’ll be able to focus on the task at hand and hear about a coworker’s vacation over lunch instead.
Pro Tip: With so many makes and models to choose from, head to the store to try a pair on before ordering online.
Looking to transform your workspace, into your very own personalised office? Get in touch with the friendly Future Fitouts team today for more great ideas on how we can transform your workspace with office fitouts that you’ll want and love to come to work for.