HR FOCUS
Overwhelming new evidence now also links office design with staff health and productivity. A recent report from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). Health, wellbeing and productivity in offices: The next chapter for green building highlights a number of factors – from air quality and lighting, to views of nature and interior layout - that can affect the health, satisfaction and job performance of office workers.
Think of that moment at the end of a long working day when you walk through your own front door, kick off your shoes and finally relax. The colours around you, the cosy lighting, the placement of your sofa in front of the TV and strategically positioned remote control, are all great examples of ergonomic design.
Whilst no-one is seriously suggesting that facilities managers could replicate this feeling of calm every minute spent at work, putting people’s needs at the centre of office design can help to create spaces which employees feel happy to work in.
Here are some basic ergonomics and human factors principles FMs should consider:
SEE THE LIGHT Exposure to natural light improves
workplace performance, enhancing our connection with the outside and connecting people with the rhythm of the day.
A recent study by neuroscientists suggested that office workers with windows received 173% more white light exposure during work hours, and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night. Workers without windows reported poorer scores than their counterparts on quality of life measures related to physical problems and vitality, as well as poorer outcomes on measures of overall sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction.
The Display Screen Equipment (DSE) regulations advises us to get as much daylight as possible into the workplace; to do this successfully, controls need to be put in place e.g. blinds and window coverings.
www.tomorrowsfm.com
Correct screen placement in relation to internal and external light sources will help to avoid glare and reflections. Computer screens should be adjusted to increase contrast, brightness and character resolution. No work areas should be over-illuminated.
PLEASE STAND UP Did you know that 80% of workers
across Scandinavia have sit-stand desks? By making a provision for sit-standing work, FMs can help lower absence; promote better health and less inactivity. Creativity and productivity levels will also increase as people who are mobile tend to be more inventive.
“THINK OF THAT MOMENT AT THE END OF A LONG
WORKING DAY WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH YOUR OWN FRONT DOOR, KICK OFF
YOUR SHOES AND FINALLY RELAX.”
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) performed a study on the effectiveness of sit-stand workstations. Standing for just one additional hour per day (four increments of 15 minutes), 87% workers felt more energized and comfortable at work, 75% felt healthier overall, 62% felt happier and 33% felt less stressed.
A simple and more cost-effective option could be to create a work area using poseur tables, giving employees the choice to sit or stand during short meetings.
If this is well received by workers, FMs could investigate electric height- adjustable desks which research has shown can lead to reduced complaints of musculoskeletal discomfort by an average 62% amongst computer workers.
GIVE ME SOME SPACE Employees who are given tangible,
productive space gain a real sense of empowerment and the ability to make a difference to their part of the business and sphere of influence. To achieve this, FMs could implement open and private areas scattered about the building for meetings, relaxation and work.
Giving staff an eye contact sightline and the ability to have conversations from their own seated position also builds a sense of immediacy, of being ‘connected in’ and able to influence how things are done.
Ensuring that any technology does not physically infringe in an employee’s sightline (displays, phones, kit) emphasises the importance of people dealing with each other, rather than kit talking to kit.
FMs can also implement basic ergonomics by making sure that technology is reachable and operable in comfort without harm.
LISTEN Following the revelation by Red
Letter Days for Business that only a third of British staff say they feel highly engaged at work, one of the simplest (and cheapest!) ways FMs can help staff retention is by listening to what people say about their working environment. Feeling cared for will boost productivity and also likely provide FMs with a raft of good ideas to investigate for their future workspaces.
WHAT NEXT? According to the WorldGBC, one of
the key barriers to incorporating health, wellbeing and productivity considerations into business decisions has been confusion around what to measure and how. To help FMs and business owners, the WorldGBC has proposed a simple, high level framework for measuring organisational or financial outcomes (such as absence rates, staff turnover and medical complaints) and relating those back to the physical features of buildings and employee perceptions.
www.ergonomics.org.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 57
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66
