The third edition of the “What Workers Want” survey, a joint publication from the British Council for Offices (BCO) and Savills, found that neglecting office design can have a negative effect on employer’s well-being and performance.

Absenteeism among the existing staff could also notably decrease when a fit for purpose office is provided, while productivity would be on the up. This notion receives support from the 2015 guidelines of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which stress the link between employee well-being and work output. NICE’s recommendations suggest making employee health and well-being a core priority for top management to establish the link between employee productivity and health.

A cost-effective and visually pleasing solution to decrease noise in an open plan office is to install carpets. Carpet is a sound reducer, offering an excellent solution in tackling the loud noises in the office. Some manufacturers offer carpet tiles that can reduce sound and impact noise by up to 30dB.

When planning for a holistic appearance that takes employee health and productivity into consideration, it is important that all building elements are considered at the design stage to ensure that they integrate and work well together. As a result, the increased awareness of the role our surroundings play in supporting our health and wellbeing has resulted in architects, designers and manufacturers using design to respond to our human wants and needs.

Biophilic design especially has become increasingly popular, as our sense of wellbeing is intrinsically linked to nature. Recent interior design trends utilise a mix of different textures, as well as the application of materials with aesthetics that lend themselves to the creation of a biophilic-inspired environment.

Heckmondwike have released decors that cater specifically for creating a biophilic workspace. The blue and green tones of the Array, Night Sky, Montage and Constellation collections are calming and create a peaceful environment, promoting wellbeing. Meanwhile, Heckmondwike’s Broadrib ‘plank’ carpet tiles offer stunning aesthetics and excellent durability performance, making them popular for office environments. Authentic timber decors with the properties of wider rib structure provide the required biophilic aesthetic but are significantly easier to maintain than the genuine article and offer cost efficiency.