When creating a healthy and sustainable office environment there are many elements to consider. At ADT Workplace, we have developed an innovative process to help create workspaces which support a healthier lifestyle: ADT Wellspace. Comprising eight core principles, ADT Wellspace focuses on a human-centered approach to office design.

Applying the principles at the office design and scoping stage of a project, will not only help you create a truly healthy and sustainable workplace environment for your employees, but will also deliver real business benefits, including:

• Increased productivity, concentration, and memory retention
• Better collaboration, creativity, and innovation
• More energy and motivation
• Enhanced comfort and fewer distractions
• Less absenteeism
• Improved talent attraction and retention
• Increased sustainability credentials and reduced life cycle cost

The office design principles…

User-centricity
This first stage in the process is about exploring the wants, needs, motivations and aspirations of a business and its people, which is integral to creating an effective and unique workspace. This helps to understand what the business is looking to achieve in terms of sustainability and employee wellbeing, and then consider this in line with budget and design vision.

By immersing ourselves in our clients’ businesses through an in-depth workplace consultancy process, our team creates tailored space plans which offer better functionality and maximise output, whilst enhancing employee health and wellbeing and meeting sustainability targets.

Experience
After changes in workplace habits, behaviours and expectations post-pandemic, creating a memorable experience for employees and visitors is vital. With working from home now a frequent occurrence for most, when employees travel into the office will be looking for an experience which they can’t get at home to ensure a productive and purposeful visit – essentially organisations now have to make the commute worth it for them. Workplaces need to offer a sense of belonging and comfort, and an atmosphere which fosters collaboration and innovation between teams and colleagues.

Our team is experienced in helping businesses create memorable experiences through office design for employees and visitors by considering:

• How people arrive into the space
• How you can create a sense of belonging
• What amenities and facilities you want to provide. What added extras and features will make that all important difference?
• How you can create an environment which reinforces your culture, brand, and values
• How people will get the job done efficiently
• How you can create a space which is adaptable to future change

Sustainability
The continuous global climate crisis has led to a shift in consumer behaviour. Employees now demand change and improved sustainability practises from businesses they choose to work for. To ensure you have this edge over competitors, we assess the full life cycle costs and sustainability of products we use in office design, which helps balance the planet, people, and profit to deliver long term results. We also consider your current or potential space and provide guidance on sustainable and energy efficient choices, which will have a positive impact whilst aligning with your budget.

Mental and physical
2020 presented all businesses with an accelerant of cultural change, which has identified a shift in everyone’s expectations of the workplace. Employee wellbeing and a positive culture is now at the heart of every business. For that reason, a key focus when designing a new office, is considering how you can actively improve employees’ mental and physical wellbeing, and overall working experience. This can be done by ensuring the environment enhances health as much as possible, by providing good quality fresh air and appropriate ventilation, controllable heating, cooling, and lighting, and comfortable, agile workplace settings, allowing people to work how and where they prefer depending on the task at hand.

Air quality
Air quality contributes towards the overall health of employees, so it’s crucial to implement an effective ventilation design strategy which is tailored to your employees and their working habits. By optimising air quality and reducing the amount of contaminants from external pollution, you can directly impact the productivity and increase alertness of your team. Appropriate ventilation also contributes towards temperature and humidity control, by promoting air movement and preventing condensation and mould growth. Due to its impact, excellent ventilation should be high on your priorities list when creating a healthy and sustainable office.

Natural light
Effective lighting throughout an office has the ability to increase the comfort and productivity of employees, and access to natural light has proven to balance employee’s circadian rhythm, ultimately reducing levels of anxiety and drowsiness. Controllability and efficiency of lighting is also crucial to ensuring employee comfort and helping to reduce energy usage.

Our workplace designers are skilled in creating office designs which optimise the available natural light and carefully plan artificial lighting according to the workplace settings, and how they will be used.

Acoustics
Research shows that two thirds (66%) of employees are less productive when exposed to just one nearby conversation, proving how essential acoustics of an office are. Offering optimum acoustic comfort varies from having somewhere private to hold meetings, to a space to work collaboratively, or a place to relax and more.

Features such as acoustic panels, walls, ceilings, sound-absorbing materials and even furniture, can help to reduce sound movement through an office space and are fundamental to ensuring productivity but importantly, employee mental health and wellbeing.

Temperature
Thermal comfort is ranked as one of the highest contributing factors influencing overall satisfaction in buildings, and office workers who are satisfied with their thermal environment have been proven to be more productive. Despite being difficult to navigate due to a combination of environmental and personal factors, providing choice through a controlled heating and cooling system will support a healthy environment in which employees take control of their own comfort.
If you’re struggling to know where to start and what to think about with your office redesign, our team of workplace consultants can provide the advice you need.