Healthy Offices Mean Productive Employees

Between Monday and Friday of any given week, the average working American spends roughly half of his or her waking hours at the office. Given the very high percentage of time spend in the workplace, a surprisingly small amount of consideration is given to the impact of the office space on employee health and well-being.

A 2008 joint study conducted by researchers at Orebro University and the KTH School of Architecture and Built Environment (both located in Sweden), found that workplace design and office environment had a great influence on the health, well-being, and working productivity of employees (Source: http://sustainability.formas.se/en/Issues/Issue-2-June-2008/Content/Across-disciplinary-boundaries/Office-environment-affects-health-wellbeing-and-work/). Perhaps even more striking, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that workplace health programs can increase productivity, citing the following:

• Healthier employees less frequently call in sick or use vacation days for recovery from illness.
• Better employee attendance numbers are reported by companies that support workplace health.
• Because greater emphasis on health and well-being in the workplace often carries over to the employee household, employees of companies supporting workplace health programs tend to correlate with greater family nutrition, exercise habits, and less missed work time caring for sick family members.
• Workplace health programs have been found to reduce "presenteeism," a measure of the extent to which illness and health problems adversely affect productivity of employees remaining at work.

(Source: http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/businesscase/benefits/productivity.html)

In consideration of the ever-growing awareness of the link between workplace health and productivity, Solutions Office Interiors, an office furniture retailer and space design company from San Jose, Calif., recently created an infographic offering "Quick and Crucial Health Tips for the Office." Important tips accumulated from experience and from independent health professionals on how to achieve a healthy workplace are featured in this infographic. These tips include creating a meal plan, talking breaks to walk regularly, maintaining hydration, actively stretching, scheduling mental breaks, and incorporating ergonomically designed furniture into the workplace. The infographic can be found at the Solutions Office Interiors website by visiting http://expectsolutions.com/services/office_health_tips_infographic.

Since its founding in 2003, Solutions Office Interiors has grown from a single storage shed operation to an all-encompassing interior office solutions provider helping clients to define, design, and implement the right office environment to enhance business flow, achieve a cultural fit, incorporate environmentally friendly solutions, and foster a healthy office environment. Based in the technology-centric and health-conscious San Francisco Bay Area, Solutions Office Interiors has increasingly found clients listing their employees' health and well-being as a key consideration when planning out an office space or design. Specific to ergonomic furniture, the infographic cites some interesting statistics, such as the fact that 34 percent of workplace injuries are caused by bad ergonomics. Additionally, a useful diagram is offered showing a man sitting at a desk that highlights key ergonomic considerations, such as lumbar support, feet flat on the flow, relaxed shoulders, and a neutral head position.

Posted by Jessie Fadayel on Oct 30, 2013