As an employer, you should do anything you can to boost employee happiness at the office. Why? Well, happy employees are much more productive and less likely to quit and look for a better workplace. According to several studies, retaining good employees is much more affordable than recruiting and training new ones. On average, it costs over $4,000 to fill an open position at a company, so it’s essential to create a work environment people will love and respect.
An average employee spends eight hours at their workplace, which is roughly half of their waking hours. It’s worth every penny to make those hours comfortable and pleasant. One way to do so is to invest in an office relaxation area. If you’re still not convinced that this is a good idea, here are all the benefits you can reap from this office design feature:
It allows staff to relax
Imagine the smell of fresh coffee, comfy furniture, tasty snacks, and some fun games. If this reminds you of relaxation in your living room during the weekend, you’re right. But this feeling of calm and happiness can be translated into the office as well. Most people don’t think work and relaxation have much in common, but more and more companies are trying to encourage their employees to take breaks and chill out for a few minutes.
A relaxed work environment is great for productivity, contrary to what many people used to think. Today, stress is a huge issue in the workplace, and having a relaxation area can increase workplace satisfaction and relieve some of that stress that can cloud people’s minds. Stress leads to burnout, and burnout leads to health issues, workplace conflict, and inability to produce the best results. When things get a bit too stressful, it’s beneficial for your employees to have a place to relax and regroup.
It improves staff health
As an employer, it’s in your best interest to have healthy and strong employees. And most jobs at the office don’t do much to keep people healthy because all that sitting and looking at screens can lead to some serious damage. While offices aren’t as dangerous as some other workplaces, injuries are common, especially back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neck pain. Living with this pain can reduce productivity and quality of work and recovery can take days or even weeks. It’s smart to give your workers a place to relax, stretch their legs and even get a nice massage. It’s possible to buy massage gadgets for your break room armchairs and allow people to get a relaxing massage while taking a break from work. Many employees will take time to work their stiff muscles and revive their back and neck. This also gives them time to relax their eyes and prevent vision issues, tension headaches, and squinting.
It boosts team spirit
In today’s workplace, everything is going digital pretty fast. Even companies that have an open floor plan have been noticing that their staff is increasingly avoiding contact. A great way to reverse this harmful trend is to give your employees a space to connect with coworkers and boost interaction between teams and team members. This can improve overall creativity and create a bond between workers that cannot be easily broken. Your relaxation area should be equipped with comfy chairs, board games, and team sports (table tennis, pool, etc.) in order to encourage relaxation and interaction.
It encourages creativity
The main goal of an office is to provide your employees with a place to work, and two of the most important elements of any work are problem-solving and creativity. And what better way to jump-start them than with a relaxation area that will encourage daydreaming? We often get the best ideas when relaxing and allowing our brains to wander. For instance, how many times did you come up with an amazing solution to a problem when in the shower? Or how many times did you create a perfect design for your product when lying in bed? In your relaxation room, people will get a space to relax and let their brains wander. Also, this area will usually contain plenty of people, so your employees will have plenty of minds to bounce off their ideas.
A relaxation room is an integral part of any productive workplace, so make sure to treat it like an investment in your company’s growth. Your employees will love the effort and your business will soon reap many benefits in terms of productivity, creativity, and talent retention.
