Written By: Upneet Pansare | Updated : September 24, 2018 12:22 PM IST
Does your office have a yoga centre or a gym? © Shutterstock
Researchers have found that the idea of working remotely or working from home helps reduce stress. There is no doubt that workplaces are rife with stressful situations, assignments and people. This can have a direct impact not only on the employees health, absenteeism, commitment to work, job satisfaction but also on productivity and that will, ultimately, directly affect the company s performance. In order to ensure that employees aren t stressed, offices must try to do at least some of the following things:
1) Having pets in office or having Pet Days in office: for a study, Virginia Commonwealth University researchers compared employees who brought their dogs to work and those who didn't and those without pets and how it impacted stress, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and support. Their findings published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management said that this helped increase positivity in the office leading to better interactions and even a bit of exercise, all lessening stress.
2) Open bench seating: A recent research by the University of Arizona said that workers in open bench seating experienced lower perceived stress at the office. It was observed that workers in open bench seating were more active at the office than those in private offices and cubicles. More activity resulted in less stress.
3) Sun-lit interiors: Studies have shown that workplaces with windows that let some amount of natural sunlight inside the office can help employees be more productive and help them stay active throughout the day. Sunlight is also known to reduce stress.
4) Good ventilation: Proper ventilation is necessary to keep air pollutants away. A number of employees remain absent from work because of sickness due to allergens such as dust, pollen, and other irritants in office.
5) Ergonomic chairs: Badly designed chairs can play havoc with employees spine, neck, back and posture. All of these can cause pain and stress.
6) Have gyms or yoga centres in office: It has been widely acknowledged that exercises help boost the level of endorphins or feel-good hormones in the body that help reduce stress.
