In previous articles we’ve discussed how Kent and London office design can positively impact general health and wellbeing, the same can also be said when it comes to mental health. Good office design can also have a positive bearing on your staff’s mental health.
Mental Health At Work – Key Facts and Statistics
The Mental Health Foundation looked at a number of work related statistics and found that in 2022 “mental health was the 5th most common reason given for sickness absence, accounting for 7.9% of occurrences.” In 2022/23 “there were an estimated 875,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety, resulting in 17.1 million working days lost.” They state that poor mental health is now the most common cause of conditions that affect work of those aged 44 years and below.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “decent work is good for mental health” however “poor working environments…pose a risk to mental health.” The WHO go onto say that “globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity.”
Poor mental health has an economic impact on the UK economy with the cost to UK employers estimated to be “£42 billion to £45 billion annually through presenteeism, sickness absence and staff turnover.” Where employers make changes within the workplace to address mental health issues there is a positive return on investment of around £5 for every £1 invested.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) state “mental health issues can affect one in four people at some point in their lives. Mental health issues are a major cause of long-term absence from work. Employers should promote good mental health and provide support for employees who are experiencing mental ill health including anxiety or depression.”
This is backed up by the UK government who say “One in four people in the UK will have a mental health problem at some point. Work can also aggravate pre-existing conditions, and problems at work can bring on symptoms or make their effects worse. Whether work is causing the health issue or aggravating it, employers have a legal responsibility to help their employees. Like any other safety or health hazard at work, work-related mental health issues must be assessed to measure the levels of risk to staff. Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable.”
The Evolution Of Office Design Over The Years
Over the years office design has evolved to take account of changing work practices and processes and to address employee needs, health and safety.
In the 1900s offices were rigid and regimented with desks evenly spaced in rows, in an open plan office space. As time went on this office design was criticised as being too focussed on gaining maximum productivity from workers at the expense of staff health and well-being.
The 1930s saw the evolution of the open plan office and the workspace became more spacious and aesthetically pleasing with a mix of private offices and open plan workstations, encouraging more interaction between employees.
In the 1960s workspace layout changed again to be less rigid and styled more towards social interaction, grouping desks together and using plants to create partitioning. The workplace became a far more collaborative environment with teams working together towards project goals.
In 1964 a new approach to office design called Action Office became more prevalent. The “Action Office” increased the space between workstations; workstations became larger and more enclosed and there was an emphasis on having meeting rooms where staff could meet away from the office space. Over time, the Action Office evolved so that each employee had their own high, three-sided vertical partition that defined each individual workspace.
The 1980s saw another shift in office design towards what is known as cubicle farms. These cubicle farms “boxed” workers into small areas surrounded on three sides, providing privacy but cutting them off from their adjacent neighbours and reducing collaboration and social interaction. Cubicle farms were the norm for the next two decades until technology and research caused companies to reconsider their office design with a view to designing offices that were more human centric.
Today’s office designs recognise the need to prioritise staff physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety.
How Can Office Design Make A Difference To Mental Health?
There are a number of important factors to take into account when it comes to designing an office which will have a positive impact on mental health. Below are a few of the many design elements to consider when next designing and refurbishing your office space.
Layout
Office layout can significantly affect mental health. There are many ways in which to design an office layout. Open plan is and continues to be a layout that is favoured by many companies however open plan office space is often seen as the layout most likely to increase workplace stress.
The World Economic Forum published an article describing a study which looked at the correlation between open plan office noise and physiological stress and found that the noise within an open plan office from testing participants just eight minutes at a time, increased negative mood by 25% and increased the human sweat response by 34%.
Wellable state that “it is natural to think that, whether or not open plan offices improve collaboration, innovation, or productivity, they are at least good for employees’ psychological well-being. As plausible as this may sound, experimental evidence suggests that the invigorating and revitalizing effects of social interaction are not only nullified but sometimes entirely reversed in open plan offices.” This observation is backed up by a number of studies.
Elizabeth Sander, an associate professor at Bond University, asked open plan office occupants to complete a proofreading task while listening to sounds typically heard in an open plan office. The study found that open plan office noise “reduced psychological well-being as evidenced by self-reports of mood, facial expressions of emotion, and physiological indicators of stress in the form of heartrate and skin conductivity.”
The lack of privacy in an open plan office can also cause issues. In a study 469 employees rated their perceptions of and satisfaction with the office environments of seven different office types. “The most dissatisfaction [was] reported in medium and large open-plan offices, where the complaints about noise and lack of privacy [were] especially negative.”
The issues that come with open plan spaces can be mitigated in a number of ways. Employing the use of desk dividers, plants and other forms of partitioning can provide an element of privacy. Encouraging staff to move around the office can help reduce stress and improve focus. Ensuring there are dedicated “private spaces” or breakout areas that staff can move to can help to address perceived noise and privacy issues. Balancing collaborative and private spaces within the office can ensure that office stress is kept to a minimum.
Spaces
A mentally healthy workspace provides the spaces staff need to be productive, engaged and creative.
The “Why of the Workplace” report by Leesman found that 50% of staff said that “Relaxing/taking a break” was important to them in the workplace. 74% said that having tea, coffee and other refreshments facilities were also important to them and 63% indicated that having a restaurant or canteen was essential. In fact, research has shown that micro breaks “can have a disproportionately powerful impact – they can improve workers’ ability to concentrate, change the way they see their jobs, and even help them avoid the typical injuries that people get when they’re tied to their desks all day.”
Experts agree that taking regular timeouts can help you refresh your focus and get more done. Cornell Health say “taking purposeful breaks (anywhere from 5–60 minutes) from studying to refresh your brain and body increases your energy, productivity, and ability to focus.” The same applies to work. The Harvard Business Review analysed over 80 studies on work breaks and confirmed that taking breaks from work throughout the day can improve wellbeing and also help productivity. The article states that “Counter to the popular narrative of working long work hours, our research suggests that taking breaks within work hours not only does not detract from performance but can help boost it.”
According to the Fellowes Workplace Wellness Trend Report 87% of workers would like their workspace to have “healthier workspace benefits, with options ranging from wellness rooms, company fitness benefits, sit-stands, healthy lunch options and ergonomic seating.” 93% of workers in the tech industry would stay longer at a company who offer healthier workspace benefits.
Having the “right” balance and type of office space should be an early consideration in the office design process. Having individual workstations, collaborative spaces, quiet areas, breakout sections and wellbeing zones can ensure an office space caters for staff needs, and their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Nature
Humans have an innate need to connect with nature and given that we spend eight hours or more a day indoors there’s good reason to believe that bringing the outside inside can considerably improve staff mental health.
Research has shown that introducing elements from nature into the office such as natural light, plants and using natural materials such as wood, stone and fabrics like cotton can have a positive impact on staff mental health.
A ProQuest paper states that they saw “significant physiological and cognitive benefits in indoor environments with diverse biophilic design features.” They say that even when the study participants only virtually experienced the biophilic environment they had ”similar physiological and cognitive responses, including reduced blood pressure and skin conductance and improved short-term memory, as when experiencing the actual environment.”
Incorporating nature through the use of plants and the use of other natural materials in office design can reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood.
Ergonomics
Something as simple as the ergonomics of an office space can have a profound effect on mental health. Where ergonomics aren’t considered, it can lead to discomfort, pain and injuries which in turn can cause stress, anxiety and depression.
In a Fellowes survey 43% of office workers claim they are distracted 15 times a day and 50% of office workers say they are unproductive for up to an hour each day which is the equivalent of 21 million workdays lost each month, costing an estimated £3bn a year.
Stephen Bowden, a Fellowes chartered ergonomist explains “One of the main causes of presenteeism is distractions that come in physical, psychological and social forms, which reduces the ability of the person to concentrate on and complete the tasks at hand.”
A well-designed office which takes ergonomics into account will ensure staff have a space that is comfortable, reduces strain and prevents musculoskeletal disorders, which in turn can lead to improved mental health.
Acoustics
Mental health can be impacted when office noise is high by causing stress and anxiety.
1,000 UK-based office workers said that noise stopped them from completing work accurately and on time. 44% said that noise negatively impacted their overall wellbeing, and 40% reported that noise at work caused them to be stressed.”
Of 2,000 office workers only 8% of those workers who took part in the survey worked in a quiet office. 40% of office workers said poor acoustics impacted their ability to concentrate and 33% said their mood was negatively impacted. 33% also said they were late with projects, or the quality of their work had suffered because of noise. Only 20% felt their employer took the problem seriously. The study went onto report that 15% of UK office workers believed their workplaces have damaged their hearing. 25% reported noise induced stress and 20% said office noise had led to disturbed sleep.
Health Assured state that “over time exposure to excessive noise can have negative impacts on the mental health of your staff. As well as issues relating to their inability to concentrate and increased irritation, there’re also certain effects of noise pollution on mental health.
There are a number of ways office design can help to combat noise within an office space including changing the placement and spacing of workstations which can reduce sound from travelling in a direct path; utilising acoustic screens, partitioning, dividers and panels can act as noise barriers to absorb unwanted noise and prevent it from passing through rooms. Suspended and acoustic ceiling tiles or drop ceilings can help to reduce echoes and prevent sound from bouncing around adjacent office areas. Using carpeting, rather than tiles can reduce ‘footfall’ noise as carpets soften and absorb sounds making for a quieter environment. Soft furnishings can also reduce noise pollution and improve acoustics. Office plants are also effective noise barriers as their as leaves, branches and stems absorb, deflect and refract sound.
Considering all or some of the above “sound deadening” methods will help to reduce noise in an office environment.
Light
Light has been long played a vital role in mental health. We know that the body’s circadian rhythm very much depends on light and a lack of sufficient light throughout the day can lead to poor mood, concentration issues and long-term mental health problems like depression.
ResearchGate’s paper “The importance of light to health and well-being” found that “the variation of light is by far the most important factor in setting and maintaining our natural daily rhythm, the so-called circadian rhythm. We should be exposed to intense light in the daytime and preferably sleep in darkness at night. Outdoor daily light exposure will have a significant effect on maintaining our circadian rhythms, but the reality is that we spend 80 to 90% of our time indoors; a consequence of which is that many people are exposed to very low light-doses for long periods of the year. Preliminary evidence suggests that low light-exposure is associated with diminished health and wellbeing, and it can lead to reduced sleep quality, depressed mood, lack of energy and reduced social relations.” The paper also talks about Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and explains it is “a form of depression that occurs more frequently in the winter months, typically arising in the autumn and disappearing in the spring. Typical SAD symptoms are emotional depression, lack of energy, increased need for sleep, increased irritability, increased appetite and weight gain, reduced immune system activity and often also periodic reduced performance and productivity.”
The quality of office lighting, particularly the use of natural light plays a vital role in supporting staff wellbeing, improving mood and productivity. Where natural light isn’t available light sources that mimic natural lighting such as LED lighting should be used. The ability to adjust lighting levels is also key. Light colour is also another factor to consider. Warm colours can provide a calming atmosphere; cooler colours can promote focus.
With the understanding that light can affect us both physically and mentally ensuring good lighting in the workplace should be high on the list of office design priorities.
Temperature
Temperature can cause disagreements in office spaces. What feels comfortable for one person may not be ideal for another. However, when the temperature is too high or too low it can negatively affect mental health.
Spikes in temperature can affect our cognitive function and productivity. Psychology Today state that “Elevated cortisol levels, induced by rising temperatures, can trigger stress responses, making individuals feel moody and agitated. The parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for promoting calmness and relaxation, becomes less active at higher temperatures, leaving us vulnerable to stress.”
“The influence of occupational heat exposure on cognitive performance and blood level of stress hormones: A field study report”, a paper by ResearchGate concluded that “heat stress can lead to increase in blood level of stress hormones, resulting to cognitive performance impairment.”
Cold weather comes with its own issues. As previously mentioned Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), sometimes known as “winter depression” because the symptoms are usually more severe during the winter months results in a persistent low mood, feeling lethargic and sleepy during the day and can also cause difficulty in concentrating.
Being able to control office temperatures to ensure a consistent temperature throughout the day, irrespective of the outside temperature is important. When an office is being designed incorporating Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) or updating an HVAC that’s already in place can make all the difference in helping to maintain a comfortable office temperature in the workplace. No matter the debate on what temperature is right, having an HVAC guarantees that the inside temperature will be more comfortable than the temperature outside especially on hot, humid and cold days.
Air Quality
There’s growing evidence that poor air quality can impact mental health.
Exposure to air pollutants “may lead to depression, anxiety, psychoses, and perhaps even neurocognitive disorders, such as dementia.” Professor Kam Bhui, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford says that “there is emerging evidence of links between poor air quality and poor mental health, as well as links to specific mental disorders.”
Further evidence of the result of poor air quality is provided by the European Environment Agency who state that “research increasingly points out that inflammation and oxidative stress are key factors influencing the observed association between air pollutants and mental health outcomes.” They go onto say that “Numerous studies have already highlighted the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and various psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. Long-term exposure to air pollution has also been correlated to a progressive decline in mental function.”
Ensuring there is good ventilation which in turn will reduce air borne pollutants can help to improve air quality and mitigate any negative effects that air pollution poses.
Bringing each of the office design elements above together and considering them during the office design phase can help to ensure an office design prioritises staff physical and mental health and wellbeing.
JBH Refurbishments, Experts In Office Design and Refurbishment
JBH Refurbishments are a cat a and cat b fit out contractor and have over 30+ years experience in Kent and London office design, office refurbishments and fit outs. We can provide the right expertise for your Kent or London office refurbishment. We understand what’s required to carry out an office design and refurbishment that prioritises staff health, wellbeing and safety.
From your brief, to putting together a project plan, to developing your office design and layout to delivering your office fit out JBH Refurbishments will provide the right expertise for your project providing peace of mind. You can contact us on 0333 207 0339 or via our contact page for a free on-site consultation.
