Workplace wellness has become a topic at the top of the to-tick list. We look at how you can increase yours.
To tie in with Corporate Wellness Week, 2 to 6 July, we draw on AngelShack’s expertise in how to create office spaces that offer reduced noise and increased privacy – with noise the second most common complaint in offices worldwide. We spoke to the award-winning office furniture and accessories manufacturer about ways to combat these challenges.
Plants, plants and more plants: Well-placed plants have proven effective in reducing noise levels in an open office setting. The larger the plant the bigger the impact (not to mention the obvious aesthetic benefits and overall impact on air quality). Nature and the outdoor environment are far more comfortable from an acoustic point of view than indoor spaces and the trick is to bring this insight into the design of indoor spaces such as offices.
Private practise: Use a high-back ladder frame, such as AngelShack’s GameChanger NXT workstation with a customisable privacy screen so that you can get on with your work, without distraction. Employees can also escape to AngelShack’s HIVE, a semi-enclosed booth for one, complete with an ergonomically positioned slide away tray for your laptop and movement controlled lighting above.
The Speak Easy Booth is another total-privacy solution that employees can use to make calls without outside interference. The booth is lined with acoustic foam, a full-length glass door, internal lighting and temperature control, plus a handy shelf for pens and notebooks.
Listen to the waves: “I love working in an open-plan office and feeling connected with the team,” says David Fish, AngelShack’s MD. “However, while the positives are undisputed, noise – ranging from the hum of air-conditioning units to outside traffic, cell phone ring tones and colleagues’ voices – make working out in the open somewhat challenging.”
Clever design principles that allow for sound absorption and diffusion are key. Spaces need to be properly planned in terms of where to position noisy spaces versus quiet spaces, and the introduction of buffers such as acoustic partition systems, screens and facades that prevent noise transfer from one space to another.
AngelShack’s Focus Booth is a fully enclosed capsule that offers solitude from a busy work environment, making it perfect for confidential phone calls and one-on-one meetings. According to Fish, the booth, which is lined with acoustic foam, features a full-length glass door, internal lighting and temperature control.
