07 Aug 2023
When a staff member gets ill, it can sometimes leave us with a backlog of work. Unfortunately, it can’t always be helped. There are a huge number of factors that can be at fault when a staff member goes off sick.
When a staff member is off sick often, the first thought many managers will have is to replace that staff member. Although it seems harsh, sometimes it is necessary in order for many businesses to continue, however many businesses don’t realise that they can be the cause of the illness.
When we work in negative environments, or environments that don’t quite work well for everyone, an increase of sick absences can occur. This isn’t to say that management skills are poor; it just means that everyone is different and that the office environment isn’t a natural and welcoming habitat for all its inhabitants.
The Environment
Many people don’t realise that the office environment isn’t built for our personal needs. Yes, offices serve a purpose but in order to fully get your staff motivated, you need to understand that the environment and décor can really affect motivation. It may be going a bit far to hire in a Feng Shui practitioner but this isn’t to say finding the best use of space to maximise the light available
One way to combat this is to add some nature! Humans have a continual desire to be connected with nature, whether they realise it or not. Unfortunately, the spaces we tend to spend most of our days – workplaces, are stripped of much of their connection to the natural environment.
The office environment should feel clean, welcoming and cosy. Creating a good working environment naturally improves staff sickness. There are many ways that this can be done including using brighter colours, or hanging art upon the walls.
Art is subjective of course and everyone will have a differing opinion but it can at least be a talking point in the office. It is good to get work colleagues talking with each other, even if they end up arguing about the merits of something artistic. It reduces the space for gossip and infighting and instead gets people talking about shared things.
Change the lighting
Office lighting is often quite white and unnatural. This doesn’t just affect us mentally but can leave our eyes feeling a little strained and our mental health a little more frazzled. Many people who work in offices with strip lighting feel that their eyes are dry and sore after a day’s work. Some even go as far as to use eye drops in order to provide some relief for their eyes after spending so much of their day in an environment that hurts their eyes, and some get special coatings on their glasses to help to deal with it.
Processing this amount of unnatural light can be draining without many of us realising it. By changing the bulbs in the office to more of a warmer and natural colour, it can really help relax the setting. This is something that we recommend to businesses as it can really help to reduce eye strain and fatigue amongst their staff, and therefore up the levels of productivity throughout the working day.
Add greenery!
Add some nature! Numerous scientific studies have proven the positives of having more greenery in your workspace.
There’s been many studies to prove that nature can help with staff sickness and retention rates. The 2015 Human Spaces report, which studied 7,600 offices workers in 16 countries, found that nearly two-thirds (58%) of workers have no live plants in their workspaces. Those whose environments incorporated natural elements reported a 15% higher wellbeing score and a 6% higher productivity score than employees whose offices didn’t include such elements.
Cleaner air = less sickness
Plants are adept at removing chemicals such as benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde from the air, making it cleaner for humans to breathe. This is one of the main reasons that greenery is found in office environments all over the world. Plants destroy some of the substances that can be poisonous to human beings and which make them tired.
Studies have also found that indoor plants can help reduce carbon dioxide levels by about 10% in air-conditioned offices, and by about 25% in buildings without air conditioning. This is actually quite a large difference and it is no wonder that people feel better in the presence of plants, when the carbon dioxide levels have reduced by such a high percentage. That is before even taking into account the amount of other chemicals that have been removed from the office.
Plants Help Mental Health
Past studies found significant reductions in stress among workers when plants were introduced to their workspace. One particular study by the University of Technology, Sydney, revealed a 37% fall in reported tension and anxiety; a 58% drop in depression or dejection; a 44% decrease in anger and hostility; and a 38% reduction in fatigue.
These statistics all plot huge drops in negative feelings and can only bode well for the happiness, wellbeing and ultimately the performance of the people in the workplace who have had plants introduced to it.
Plants have long been known to help improve mental health, which is why there is so much hype around going for walks in nature when people are suffering from depression.
Employees eating lunch at their desk may seem like a more productive option but it actually isn’t. Being cooped up inside for too long can be bad for us so try gently encouraging employees to go for a walk outside the workplace at lunchtime. This will allow them to take in some fresh air and natural light, as well as hopefully spend some time amongst nature. Returning from lunch refreshed and ready to have a productive afternoon is far better than spending it cooped up in the office wishing you could be outside.
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