“Having a job is good for our health”, according to Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive for Public Health England. It’s true - we spend one third of our day at work and while we recognise work as a place to earn money, to make friendships, and to develop our skills, perhaps we don’t fully realise its potential.
For many, it may also be a place of respite, intellectual conversation and connection, growth, development and escapism. Post pandemic, businesses are investing now more than ever in their employees, prioritising their wellbeing and ensuring that employee wellbeing is front of mind.
Many studies and surveys support this notion. Support for mental and emotional health was ranked top of nine key aspects of wellbeing, ahead of financial health, and in a literature review of Fortune 500 companies, found that the word ‘health’ was used by 84% of organisations on their website.
With the workplace and its impact on wellbeing such a prevalent topic, I was delighted to collaborate with Just Eat for Business on its Office 2.0: Unveiling Tomorrow's Workspaces white paper and breakfast event, to talk with experts across the industry about what the future of work had in store.
The paper explores the evolution of wellbeing trends within the workplace, and highlights key aspects such as the importance of hybrid working – and with it, the need for remote tools and opportunities to be just as good as within the workplace.
It also highlights the need for structured office-based time to ensure that new starters – especially those leaving university and stepping into work for the first time are introduced to workplace culture, and those team members who attend rather than working from home benefit from the environment.
The paper recognises that a mentally and emotionally healthy workforce demonstrates greater productivity and higher levels of retention and performance, and recommends many ways in which businesses can ensure that they are putting their employees at front of mind to align with the way that the workplace is heading.
Key topics discussed in the paper include:
- - How to implement successful workplace strategies including promoting a supportive work environment, creating physical wellbeing initiatives and creating inclusive and diverse workplaces
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- - The changing expectations of today’s employees - The traditional office was once a well-known standardised environment, but has now evolved dramatically into a landscape shaped by employees expectations
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- - The evolution of office design and the transformative journey it has taken to enhance employee engagement and productivity
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- - Food and the role it plays in the work environment, including the investments made by businesses into innovative food technologies to allow for seamless ordering, cashless payments and personalised menus
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Work is a place which thrives when those performing within it thrive. Therefore it’s now more important than ever to ensure we are creating workspaces that understand and adhere to the changing needs of the employee.
