Ever since the importance of valuing mental health in workspaces has been raised, more employers are finding creative ways to include such spaces in their offices. This phenomenon gave way for recharge rooms to exist; giving employees a space to breathe and take their minds off of work throughout the day.
The main goal of recharge rooms is for employees to have somewhere to go inside the office where they can take a few minutes to rest. This is vital because prolonged hours in front of computers can have detrimental effects on a person’s physical and mental health.
Having such a space inside the office premises can be beneficial for employees and greatly boost their productivity because they have somewhere to go to should they choose to take needed breaks. But you can take this opportunity to go one step further and situate your recharge room in nature, here’s why:
It can give your employees a breath of fresh air and sunlight
An average workday can last up to nine hours inside a corporate office setting. Employees enter the premises in the morning and leave in the late afternoon or early evening. This means that for the span of nine or more hours, they all breathe in the same air and are glued to their stations inside an enclosed space.
Your employees may have the opportunity to go out during breaks, only to be exposed to pollution in the streets and long lines in food establishments. When you think about it this way, with stress piling onto more stress and no room to take their minds off of work, it can be difficult to continue working without unnecessary weight or fatigue slowing them down.
But a space to recharge in nature can be a perfect remedy to this problem. You’ll be giving your employees a dedicated space where they can breathe in the fresh air and be exposed to natural sunlight for a few minutes throughout the day. This opportunity can leave them refreshed and ready to go back to work with a clear mind.
Being in nature can be beneficial to your employees’ health
Spending hours on end in front of screens can have adverse effects on a person’s health, but since it is what most corporate jobs require, they have no choice. This kind of work can contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, deprive people of the much-needed time in the natural world, and extreme cases, lead to depression.
However, offering a space outdoors where your employees can clear their minds from work responsibilities for even a few minutes a day can relieve their stress. Being in nature can have healing effects, which can highly benefit your employees’ physical and mental health.
Even a simple garden within the premises of your office can do a good job for this situation. You might need a lawn & landscape maintenance team to prepare the space for you, but doing so can be a worthwhile investment towards boosting the productivity of your employees.
The recharge space can be filled with mind and body stimulating activities
Since the main purpose of an outdoor recharge space is to give your employees some time away from technology, you should enforce a no-gadget rule while on the premises. Instead, you can offer activities that can stimulate both their minds and bodies.
For instance, you can place a table tennis table where your employees can play during breaks. Through this, you can hit two birds with one stone because you are encouraging body movement while keeping their minds active. Even the availability of simple board games can be enough to inspire relaxation.
It can improve work culture by building deeper connections
People are innately social animals. Offering a space within the office premises where your employees can interact with each other without their screens can greatly improve their working relationships. This can also benefit the office culture because it creates a healthy environment conducive to working.
Lack of opportunities for interaction with colleagues can make work unsatisfying and feel robotic. But when you give your employees a space to build and nurture connections with each other, their productivity, and consequently, your business, may benefit greatly.
Good employers should know how important it is to value their greatest assets, which are their employees. People are, after all, the ones behind the success or demise of any business. If you invest in your employees, then they will be more inclined to exceed your expectations because they are cared for very well.
