Life has been quite on a rock N’ roll for us lately and the quick pace is exciting everyone to push ourselves into the extra mile of challenges that pose in front of us.

It is found that an average adult spends about one-third of his life at work and hence, workplaces have a great impact on the course of life. With a major part of our life spent at workplaces, our health, wellness, behaviour all can be affected by the ambience and the working environment.  

Why should office spaces be health-conscious?

Occupational diseases are the disease conditions that are developed because of the exposure to certain work conditions. Musculoskeletal disorders, issues related to the spinal cord, etc are the major types of conditions that might occur in the office workers. 

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”-Mahatma Gandhi

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Whenever a worker gets physically or mentally affected, his or her productivity decreases exponentially and this would, in turn, affect the smooth running of the firm. Hence, it is important that the office space would always make sure of its workers’ health. And as they say, health is the prime concern!

What are the design aspects to look into?

India’s biggest office space aggregator, Sneed by understanding startups workspace requirements and issues.

• Design to improve physical movement – This can make sure of regular breaks that are required for the workers to make sure of a healthy routine at the office.
• Wellness programs – To include programmes like yoga, fitness, meditation rooms etc in the office premises to provide an opportunity for a cleanse when required. 
• Design of the buildings – New era architects and interior designers have their own ideas and perspectives to include the health and wellness factors in their design to achieve the goal we intend.
• Connecting nature – Trying to neutralise the effect of artificiality by reconnecting back to nature. This can be done with very simple, yet effective methods in the office itself. 
• Sustainability – We can design our office to be sustainable and balanced by giving back what we take. Sustainability has been a factor under different names, proposed by the client or by the designer and is gaining much more demand these days.

Designing for a health-conscious office

• Allow plenty of sunlight

Having large window panes and allowing immense sunlight to enter the office space can brighten up each day from morning. Lighting is really important, both natural and artificial. 

It is better to prioritize natural light. Darkness can put the human into a lazy mood and cause lethargy. The computer screens and L.E.D walls must be kept at particular angles not being distracted by the lightings. 

Clear ceiling, double-height all are being part of the fancy things done by architects to ensure the complete utilisation of light inside the office spaces. Height of the building, its orientation, size of the window, interior arrangements are all balanced to get the right architectural perfection.

2. Indoor Air Quality: A must Check

Today, most of the offices are air-conditioned and, hence, the quality of the air inside the offices are questionable. The outdoor air is brought in along with the pollutants, circulated and it in effect affects the workers. Indoor air quality can be checked by identifying the sources of air pollutants, removing them from the inside environment and then filtering the same. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that depleting air quality is one of the major reasons affecting office workers’ health. Keeping air vents unblocked, promptly repairing the water leaks, proper disposal of garbage, maintenance of Air Conditioners etc are few ways by which we can keep our offices with fully clean air.

3. Maintaining mental health    

Hustles, thin deadlines, unrealistic client demands, peer pressure. All these are so much familiar to people who work in corporates. Well, the tension it puts us all in and the stress caused by the management above us will definitely cause great havoc over your state of mind. In order to deal with such situations, it is important that your office has a recreation room, a wellness centre kind of arrangement where we could just take a break and have a peace of mind.

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Today, offices have a yoga instructor, fitness expert etc to help people have regular exercises, be fit physically and mentally. Or maybe you could learn the basic facts and help your colleague in return. 

4. Being a regular office worker

I always had the opportunity to work in an office premise, be it my internship, work and thereafter. Different types of office space give you different kinds of vibes. But, I always had someone around to check on my health and to be mentally and physically fit. 

Walking a couple of times around the office after an hour of work, having your water bottle always near you and drinking water continuously are the basic tips I got which proved to be helpful at each stage of work. Co-working spaces will give you more flexible and enjoyable working conditions, according to my opinion.

With increasing hustles and allied issues, it is the responsibility of the management to keep guard of the worker’s health. And good thing that today’s architects and designers have all these in mind while they craft their imaginations. Let us be happy to be a part of the same!