The Perfect Working Environment: Well-Being at the Workplace

Open-plan office landscape with HiBack armchairs and workstations by VS

Well-Being is Worth It What Makes a Perfect Working Environment

Rooms affect motivation, performance and it is important to take advantage of that in offices. First things first: no, it’s not enough to buy hip designer furniture. For a perfect working environment, your office must be proficient in soft skills. Read on to find out what they are so that you can design a perfect working environment.

It only takes us a few seconds to decide whether we like a person or not. We also notice similarly quickly whether we feel comfortable in a room. We communicate with rooms unconsciously, directly, and lastingly.

“That is why rooms must advance to be places that take account of people’s needs and perceptibly activate our senses at all levels: flexibly, changeably, and multifunctionally. These are places where a feeling of belonging, and connection is developed and strengthened. For this to succeed, a room has to emotionally get ‘under our skin’,” says Jürgen Gaiser, interior designer and partner at blocher partners in Stuttgart.

In fact, successful room concepts demonstrably have a positive effect on our well-being when working. A positive ambiance can encourage concentration, inspire creativity, and make cooperation easier. It is not without reason that, in education, the room is considered to be the “third teacher”. According to this dictum from Loris Malaguzzi, the surroundings greatly influence children’s success in learning, their motivation, and their well-being as the third most influential force after fellow pupils and teachers. Being able to feel comfortable might initially sound like a first-world problem. But the opposite is the case: feeling comfortable is an essential requirement for successful learning and good work.

Open-plan office landscape with low-back sofas, the TeamTable high table and upholstered panto chairs for high seating.

Only someone who feels comfortable is productive – increasing productivity with the right working atmosphere

For good reason, companies’ focus is turning to room skills. The number of standards concerning mandatory preventive health is rising. In return, the number of specialists is falling continuously, which makes it essential for companies to offer an attractive working environment. Not least, employees’ experiences of working from home are leading to greater demands of working rooms, which should be more homely, more atmospheric, stimulating and, at the same time, functional. Particularly in times of hybrid working, companies have to demonstrate the value added of the office in comparison to working from home. It should therefore offer the best possible surroundings for those things that don’t work remotely: maintaining real relationships, developing a tangible team spirit, experiencing creative encounters. Or to put it in the words of futurologists: the central design challenge is “Mood Management” of employees. Which means no less than allowing the office to be a place that puts them in the right mood for work better than any other.

“In future, a room will become a melting pot of people, their needs, diversity, and creativity. It will act as the heart of the company because the company spirit is lived out and further developed here, not just the product,” says Gaiser.

Black and white close-up of the Danish architect Verner Panton

“A chair is more comfortable if you like the colour.”
Design legend Verner Panton working with VS on developing the PantoSwing.

What factors support our well-being at our workplace and help us to work optimally?

Exchanges are the be-all and end-all of everyday working life. That's why we need spaces and areas for the most varied kinds of communication. Comfortable modular furniture can turn a “maker space” into a creative playground for ideas. Meeting boxes, as a room-in-room solution, provide the required undisturbed working atmosphere for confidential conversations. An inviting lounge area permits all types of conversation in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.

A learning and working area was equipped by VS Systemhaus with mobile NF-Move chairs and standing tables TriUnion as well as interactive whiteboards.

A right to have a say in the design, as far as possible, demonstrably strengthens identification and the feeling of self-determination at work. Thanks to working from home, employees have a critical view of an office environment that forces them into standards that are well below the quality of their home offices.

A seating area with LowBack armchairs by VS, with eddy-Lockin lockers in the background.

Practice shows that satisfaction rises with desk sharing concepts in particular if the immediate surroundings are right or can be made suitable. Employees must feel optimally supported - not disrupted. Screens, desks, and chairs should therefore be adjustable in terms of height and need. Switching options between office chairs and stools increases physical and mental well-being. Personal items, such as ornaments or photographs are also part of well-being, so a private cupboard on wheels or locker should be provided.

Two upholstered benches HiBack from the Lounge series, with a variably positionable side table, offer a comfortable alternative for relaxed conversations and a cosy coffee.

No matter how exciting and creative room concepts are, ergonomic basics have to be considered in design. They ensure a healthy working environment that reduces stress and disruptive factors.

The lighting situation at the workplace is closely linked to productivity and well-being. For example, the colour of the light can influence the biorhythm. In the mornings, daylight contains a higher proportion of blue shades, which is why blue light increases concentration and performance. Poor lighting makes people tired quickly, which is why it has to work optimally for working with paper, at the whiteboard or screen. For lighting to be atmospheric and not just functional, it must be individually adjustable. And: Daylight is always the best lighting option.
The room acoustics have to be planned. Because concentration and focus are lost if the room is too loud or too quiet. When well designed, noises have little echo, acoustic panels insulate conversations and details, such as the tight chair gliders, prevent disruptive squeaking when moving chairs across the floor.
A good climate – this involves a lot more than a pleasant temperature and fresh air. The humidity and speed of the air and its quality also play an important role. Pollutants leaching out as gases can be prevented if high-quality furniture and materials are used.

A woman works on a laptop next to the PARA.MI desk lamp

The uses for the space should be as diverse as the tasks involved. Different zones provide scope for design and movement, some of them are furnished classically, others with furniture that can be used flexibly. In everyday work, a busy open space office can be defined visually and acoustically into different areas with upholstery elements. Because no matter how much flexibility there is, concentrated work must be separated from communicative work. The necessary technology is integrated so that it remains subtly in the background.

An open-plan office landscape with TriUnion high tables and a seating area with the HiBack armchair from the Lounge series by VS

Employees experience spaces with all of their senses. It is much more inviting to help them experience sensuous diversity by using natural materials, different textures, and colours. A table with a warm wooden surface can involve participants atmospherically in a meeting in a different way from glass or metal. Soft upholstery fabrics, inviting colours, measured contrasts create homeliness that categorises the office as a living space in a modern way.

Close-up of the wood structure of a cut tree trunk

“Biophelic Design”, which is close to nature, allows the positive effect of nature on people to be used to optimise spaces. Plants as living elements and a view of nature have beneficial, stress-reducing effects. This is not only due to the appealing look. Plant walls or what is known as Living Pictures break up the noise and improve acoustics. Work lamps with a biophelic design measure the amount of daylight that is lacking and compensate it in order to create optimum lighting conditions.

An exterior view of a bright and modern office with green accents in the form of Neutra Boomerang Chairs, Hokkis and greenery.

Interior design says that spaces are the brand in 3D. They send messages, both internally and externally. The type of design conveys appreciation and the feeling of being welcome. It can be an expression of sustainability brought to life or surprise new young employees with a surprisingly fresh image. In the battle for the best minds, it is key to present oneself as an attractive employer. Because high potentials in particular feel most comfortable in workplaces that match their world and their values. That is why the surroundings also help us to experience work as having a meaning and being important.

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The Perfect Working Environment: Well-Being at the Workplace | VS

The Perfect Working Environment: Well-Being at the Workplace | VS

Well-Being is Worth It What Makes a Perfect Working Environment

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