World Mental Health Day: How the workplace can nurture mental health

This Thursday, 10 October 2019, marks the celebration of World Mental Health Day, a cause we are incredibly passionate about at OSiT.

With people spending as much as a third of their lives at work, it’s now more important than ever that the work environment contributes to our overall wellbeing, including mental and physical health.

In this recent article with allwork.space, Niki Fuchs, Co-Founder and Managing Director at OSiT outlines three easy ways companies can improve the workplace environment to better support and nurture mental health.

·       Bringing the outdoors indoors through biophilic design – this mimics natural features inside a workspace and can have a positive impact on employee concentration, cognitive ability and productivity. From introducing office plants to living walls, or increasing natural light, this type of design is found to reduce stress, promote happiness and reduce health complaints.

·       Getting to work and negative associations with the ‘daily commute’ can be a significant cause of employee job dissatisfaction and poor mental health. Employees commuting for more than 90 minutes a day are likely to consider this negatively impacts their lifestyle and in some cases their ability to get enough sleep. However, businesses can help to alleviate some of the stress of the commute, especially if they are located close to reliable transport links. However, they can also offer cycle-to-work schemes, free cycle storage and showers and some flexibility around working hours.

Creating a working environment which helps to build relationships between staff members and counteract workplace loneliness is hugely beneficial, both for the individuals and the business. break-out spaces, rooftop terraces and informal and formal meeting areas can all help to facilitate greater communication and collaboration.

Read it here.