Grey offices result in grey stressed out employees

Over a third of people find that their workplace environment adds to their levels of stress according to a new study by recruiting specialist RPCushing Recruitment. This has serious implications for the ability of companies to maintain productivity levels and motivate and retain their employees.



First impressions count when assessing a candidate for a job vacancy and this cuts both ways. As soon as they walk through the door the interviewee will make instant judgements about the extent to which an employer cares about its people. The workplace environment is seen as important to 82% of people when choosing an employer and 87% form an impression of the company from its reception. More worryingly, 37% of people have considered leaving or resigned from a job because they do not like their office environment.

Offices rely extensively on IT and air conditioning equipment which generates a lot of heat and can make the office atmosphere too dry. One symptom of an office environment being too dry is when people suffer from static shocks from desks and filing cabinets and people are more likely to be vulnerable to colds and flu.

This problem can be addressed with the introduction of office plants which rebalance humidity levels and can also help to purifying the air. Dr Virginia Lohr, a researcher at Washington State University, has demonstrated that plant transpiration in an office environment creates a humidity level exactly matching the recommended human comfort range of 30% to 60%.

Appropriate office lighting is an essential component of an office environment because of its effect on the comfort of employees. Light reflected from polished or shiny objects, such as computer monitors, can cause glare and visual discomfort. Inadequate lighting may cause health problems ranging from lethargy to eyestrain, headaches, poor posture and muscle fatigue.

Paul Cushing, managing director of RPCushing Recruitment commented: ìChanging your office environment can make a surprisingly big impact on your ability to recruit, retain and motivate staff. In an ideal world you would be able to redesign the office environment around your working practices and culture. However if this is not practical, subtle changes to the layout of desks can make a huge difference. This may include lowering the physical barriers between teams so people still feel as if they have their own personal space, but are able to communicate easily with their colleagues.î

Cushing continued: ìItís worthwhile thinking about how you can use the space you have more effectively. In our survey, 62% of workers identified a need for a chill-out or break-out space where they could brainstorm solutions to particular challenges in a creative way or simply take a few moments to reenergize with colleagues. This sort of thing is to be encouraged if it enables people to work in a focused and productive way.î

Top tips

Lighting: It is best to position computer workstations between rows of overhead lights rather than directly below them and at right angles to windows to reduce the intensity of the light source and avoid glare.

Layouts: Office screens/partitions can be used to block light from windows and overhead lights creating a more pleasant working office environment and give people their own personal space in the office. However be careful that you do not cut off teams which need to work closely together from one another.

Plants: Introducing plants into your office can help address the drying effects of the heat generated by IT equipment and air conditioning systems and help purify the air.