How the Hybrid Workplace Can Enable You to Enhance Employee Wellbeing

Times have changed. An office with environmental elements—such as natural sunlight or dedicated green outdoor space—can boost productivity, aid in individual engagement, and cultivate overall more positive employee wellbeing. This can be as simple or involved as you choose to make it! Transitioning your workspace to the needs of a hybrid working environment can be a challenge, but the benefits are simply too great to ignore.

It takes a lot more than just a consistent paycheck to achieve true employee happiness in your workplace. Employees need to function in an environment that makes them feel valued. An equitable work-life balance is essential, both for your employees’ personal health and for the health of your business. After all, businesses that place a premium on employee wellbeing are more apt to see increased loyalty and productivity from their workforce.

According to a recent study from AFLAC, 70% of employees enrolled in wellbeing programs report higher job satisfaction. Happier staff translates into more productivity, meaning that these programs are an investment that directly helps your bottom line.

A hybrid work environment is already one step toward ensuring increased worker satisfaction. Most hybrid models allow employees the freedom to structure their day as they like, giving them control over their lives. If you run a hybrid workspace—or are thinking about making the switch—consider how you can actively use it to cultivate employee wellbeing initiatives.

Have a Space Dedicated to Be Social…Or Be Alone

Traditional office spaces tend to focus solely on the necessities of business: any extra space winds up dedicated to storage, meeting rooms, or the like. Hybrid workspaces function differently, and can thus facilitate employee wellbeing more intentionally. With part of the workforce doing their jobs remotely every day, the main office requires less space to function. As a result, you can convert the remaining square footage into a multi-purpose space.

“Soft work,” or the social connections one builds with one’s team, is an integral part of office culture and productivity. Use the freed-up space in your office to make social zones—or conversely, spaces where staff can be alone with their thoughts.

These personal or social spaces allow employees to address other aspects of their lives without the pressure of the time clock. More importantly, such spaces also facilitate the kind of one-on-one communication that helps team members form closer bonds, and makes staying in contact during remote work hours easier.

The Freedom of Workplace Flexibility for Employee Wellbeing

Both hybrid workspaces and employee wellbeing thrive on flexibility. When team members can divide their work time in a manner that actually suits their needs, while still delivering on deadlines, everyone benefits. It also produces a culture of flexibility for the company overall, allowing it to pivot and handle new challenges or take advantage of new opportunities.

A mindset of flexibility doesn’t just pay out more for your business—it saves you money as well, as physical space is seen in a new light. Leases for hybrid businesses, for instance, might be negotiated on a part-time basis or for shorter periods of time. Should you need to pivot as your business changes, a lighter footprint makes a move less costly. You’ll find you use your individual spaces more flexibly too, for multiple purposes—allowing you to consolidate and cut down on overhead costs.

Use Environmental Elements to Boost the Senses

Traditional cubicles rarely considered aesthetics or the surrounding environment. As long as the square footage could hold sufficient desk space, it was deemed “good enough.”

Times have changed. An office with environmental elements—such as natural sunlight or dedicated green outdoor space—can boost productivity, aid in individual engagement, and cultivate overall more positive employee wellbeing. This can be as simple or involved as you choose to make it! In a smaller space, integrate plants into the office, or search for real estate with large windows that maximize sunlight. This makes your office a more desirable place to be, making hybrid work schedules easier to implement and keep. It also creates a more inviting space for clients and visitors.

Boost Employee Well-being Mental Health by Boosting Physical Health

Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand with employee wellbeing. The easier it is for your workers to add a good exercise regimen to their routine, the healthier they will be.

An employee wellness program can facilitate this with things like gym memberships or subsidiaries to be spent on home exercise equipment. But you can bring health into the existing office space by dedicating a “fitness” space (not necessarily a full-blown gym) where people can either rest or break a little sweat during non-working hours. Consider repurposing unused office space with lockers and basic equipment such as treadmills and stationary bikes.

These steps toward fitness may also improve the social health of your team. Employees may choose to work out together or even organize classes if the company is large enough to fill them. They can economize their time, not having to drive to the gym to exercise and connect and bond outside of strict work relations.

Implement Smart Space Solutions for Your Workplace

Transitioning your workspace to the needs of a hybrid working environment can be a challenge, but the benefits are simply too great to ignore.

The right tools in your corner can make a considerable difference, especially when it comes to adapting your space for employee wellbeing. Smarten Spaces provides comprehensive solutions to build the most effective hybrid workplace possible. Our space management features allow you to set the parameters of your specific space, then maintain it as you continue in your hybrid future. Adjust your space to meet new conditions, and integrate with other features such as scheduling and health and safety protocols.

With a single app to handle it all, you can make the most of the hybrid future—regardless of your business’s particular needs. Contact us today to schedule a presentation!