The worth of workplace wellbeing: why feeling good matters

In our personal lives, we have become ‘everyday athletes’ hooked on technology to track every health-conscious move we make – and this does not stop at the office reception. Everyday life and work-life have become pretty much one and the same, which means the office now has to cater for the emergence of a more health-conscious workforce – a shift that demands more investment from an organisation but can also bring significant benefits.

Most companies are familiar with the 3:30:300 principle that calculates, on average, how much is spent per square foot per year in an organisation. Typically, this equates to US $3 on utilities, US $30 on rent and US $300 on employee salaries. This shows that companies can make their most significant cost savings through people, not the building infrastructure which is where most organisations try to save.

Attitudes have shifted

In the last few years there has been a greater acknowledgement of the importance of investing in workplace wellbeing and companies have realised that investing in wellbeing can have real, tangible outcomes for their business. There has also been a growth in companies investing in design solutions to address the correlation between the health of employees and their physical environment.

Greater investment in environmental monitoring within offices has also supported company aims to creates spaces that help, rather than hinder, employee health and wellbeing. Organisations are now measuring – and improving on – the environment they provide for their workforce in terms of such factors as temperature, air quality, acoustics and lighting. This allows companies to design and orchestrate environments which actively promote healthy lifestyles and inspire employees to do their best work, often using an influx of sensors to gather data and making innate connections to nature in office interiors.

No longer a luxury

While a single organisation cannot take total responsibility for transforming the wellbeing of all its employees, it should nevertheless take practical steps to support a social agenda at work as part of the provision of a high-quality workplace experience. Having the right digital tools, technologies and systems to enhance physical and mental wellbeing is no longer an employee luxury – it is a core corporate competency.

Read more on The Worth of Workplace Wellbeing here.