What Employees are Looking for in Workspaces

workspace

As companies start to think about the transition back into the offices, make sure your space is meeting your workers’ needs. Good workspaces have the power to amplify business productivity, boost company-wide morale, and help employees become happier and healthier. Smart companies recognize this and many take it into account when designing their office space and benefits packages. Employers’ spending on wellness programs has become a significant trend– averaging 3.6 million in 2019. This includes things like onsite gyms, standing desks, yoga and meditation rooms, and tech-based health tools.

While these things sound fancy and enticing, what are the top amenities employees are looking for in workspaces? If you are able to discover and nail these, your office design and programs will take you much further. Let’s explore below. 

Start With the Basics 

In addition to onsite gyms, employees want more from their workspaces.

Future Workplace and View surveyed 1,601 workers across North America looking at what wellness perks employees wanted, how they impacted productivity, and if companies were implementing any of these into their business. The number one perk employees wanted is better air quality. 58% of respondents said that fresh, allergen-free air would improve their wellness. 50% said they would work and feel better with some view of the outdoors, and ⅓ said they would want the ability to adjust the temperature in their workspace. Other highly ranked amenities included comfortable light, water quality, and air temperature.

The takeaway from thinking about ‘basics’ is that maybe you don’t need to spend on trendy fitness machines and instead invest in making work more light-filled and comfortable. The basics will more directly help your employees to work better. 

Flexibility

Flexibility is a key component not only in offering options to work from home certain days of the week (or as much as necessary in recent times) but also in personalizing employee’s own workspaces. 

Take into account that employees are likely to prioritize temperature, lighting, and noise levels as they directly impact concentration and productivity. When designing think about things like–can employees have access to workspace temperature through an app? Can there be overhead and desk lighting that can be controlled by employees? Lastly– how can sound be controlled throughout the office?  

Holistic Wellness

Looking at wellness from a holistic perspective will help you create a happier and healthier work environment and impact employees positively. To do this, wellness needs to be regarded on three levels– emotional, physical, and environmental. Emotional wellness can include natural lighting and quiet rooms as well as meditation and mindfulness classes and an overall sense that mental health is regarded and talked about. Physical wellness can include prioritizing healthy food options when hosting work functions. Lastly, environmental wellness covers air quality, light, and temperature– making sure that the office space is positively supporting the people who work there. 

Don’t Forget to Ask

These three categories should put you in the right direction on including what employees want in their workspaces. However, the number one thing to pay attention to is what your employees want. Don’t be afraid to ask! It will benefit you a lot in the long run. 

At Optimum Coworking, we have spaces that can suit all –everything from private offices, virtual offices, co-working space, and even dedicated desks. Browse here and get in touch with us with any questions. We can talk you through the best options for your needs and how to safely transition back to the office.