An interesting report from mental health charity Mind has just been published. 'Building solutions: improving office environments' suggests that workplace stress is the second biggest occupational health problem in the UK and the office environment is a key factor. Researchers found that of the people interviewed:
26 per cent thought conditions in their office had negatively affected their mental health
22 per cent had formally complained about their office environment
42 per cent were dissatisfied with the temperature in their office
27 per cent were unhappy with the amount of natural light
27 per cent were also unhappy with the amount of working space they have
This comes on top of other studies which have, unsurprisingly, shown that workers in less pleasant environments get less work done and indeed the last issue of The Shed magazine looked at the importance of plants in the home office environment.
Mind chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: "Dilbert-type cubicles won’t cut it in the information economy. To maximise productivity and creativity, it’s crucial that staff have inspiring, flexible work environments. Everyone thinks of health and safety as a physical thing – we mustn’t forget health and safety for our minds."
If you don't like your office - try asking your company to buy you a home office. I work in IT and my company bought me a studio from Rooms Outdoor. Yes there really are some forward looking companies out there! It's always worth asking if you have a work from home policy.
ReplyDeleteThat's very encouraging to hear. My experience when I tried with my company about three years ago was that they couldn't really get their heads around what I was asking them to do - and this was a media company that was supposedly one of the most progressive in terms of new technology.
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