STAY WELL WHILE YOU WORK THE HOME OFFICE
We’ve all been spending a lot of time at home recently and many of us will now be working from home too – all the more reason to make sure our home working area is the healthiest it can be. Workspace design can impact mental and physical health and improving our connection with nature, using biophilic design principles, can help counteract stress and aid recuperation from work tasks.
Before the current crisis, surveys showed that although a whopping 48 per cent of people sometimes worked from home, only 11 per cent of Brits had a designated space for this, and one in 10 people admitted they usually did their work or admin from the sofa! With the number of home workers continuing to rise, here are some ways to make sure you have a healthy home office… Plan your room or space for both focus and recuperation This means there should be acoustic, physical and visual separation between the workspace and the rest of the home. The easiest way to do this, of course, is to have a room designated as an office. However, if this isn’t possible, planted partitions to section off a part of a room can bring that feeling of separation. Having some subtle, natural background noise from a water feature, or playing sounds such as birdsong, can further reduce distraction and mask unwanted noise.
Layout is crucial Try positioning your desk under a window, preferably with a view out over some greenery for attention restoration, with the double benefit of maximising exposure to natural light.
Ergonomic furniture A fully adjustable chair would be ideal – you could even invest in a sit-stand desk. Think about other furniture – you might also want to include an armchair with a side table and a lamp to add a reading space for tasks that don’t require a desk. Having the choice to switch positions can make us feel in control, which improves productivity and wellbeing.
Add greenery to your work areas Plants help to filter the air, increase humidity (good for the eyes, throat and skin), and generally aid productivity, with some having special benefits, such as rosemary, for example, which has been linked to memory and focus. Include wooden elements with natural grain to bring it all together.