Imagine you are walking into your office. It’s not your typical grey, fluorescent-lit workplace with stiff coffee.
The Workplace Utopia is a place designed to put mental and physical wellbeing first. Before you ask, you’ve not stumbled upon a sci fi film. We’re just dreaming of what could be.
Flexi Everything
Start with the obvious: Flexibility. Everyone works when it suits them in our utopian workplace. There’s no need to conform to the 9-5 schedule if you are a night-owl or morning person. Let’s face it, 9-5 is not the best time to work. It wasn’t anyone who wanted to nap after lunch.
Flexibility doesn’t only refer to hours. It also includes how and where you choose to work. Want to have a walking conference? Want to take a mental break? You can do it. In our workplace utopia, we trust employees to be the best judges of their own bodies and minds.
The meditation zone
Imagine this: next to the coffee bar, there is a mediation zone. You can retreat to a beautiful, calm space for five minutes of breathing exercises. For the skeptics, a peaceful moment away from office noise is all you need.
Scientifically, mediation reduces stress. It also boosts productivity. Let’s give employees a mental break when they need it before getting back to those spreadsheets.
Wellness Wednesday
Why not try a Wellness Tuesday instead of getting stuck in the midweek slump? The key is to make time for your health. On Wednesdays, employees are free to spend time on self-care. This day can also include educational elements, such as workshops about mental illness mindfulness and nutritional. Everything is optional.
We all need to talk.
In this utopia mental health support can be accessed as easily as coffee. Therapy pods, which are calm, confidential spaces for booking sessions with therapists, coaches, and counsellors, are part of the design.
There’s no need to schedule appointments months in advance, or squeeze them in around your work. We normalise regular check-ins for mental health.
Power of Food
Forget soggy sandwich and sad salads. In the future, fuel is food and menus are designed with wellness in mind. Brain-boosting meals are made with seasonal, fresh ingredients that are rich in Omega-3s and antioxidants.
For those days that you just need biscuits? A treat corner is also available, because balance matters.
Sleep pods for guilt-free naps
In the wellness utopia, naps are encouraged. In this wellness utopia napping not only acceptable, but encouraged. Fancy a quick recharge? You can use a Sleep pod to recharge. A power nap will boost your creativity, improve problem-solving skills, and reduce the likelihood that you’ll snap at Karen in Accounts when she sends yet another “urgent email”. Win-win.
Ergonomics for all
Everyone will have their own workspace in the future. When it comes to chairs and desks, forget about “one size fits everyone”. You can choose from a treadmill desk or a standing desk. Or you can opt for a chair that is super comfortable and has lumbar support. Physical Health is more important than comfort. Nobody wants to experience future back pain.
Wellness in the future: Less stress and more humanity
In this utopia wellbeing is not an afterthought, or a box that HR has to check. The fabric of the office is woven with wellbeing, from how we work to where we sit. Employees are encouraged bring their entire selves – with all of their imperfections and vulnerabilities – to work. It’s not about perfection, but creating an environment in which people feel supported and empowered.
Let’s face facts: healthy, happy employees are more creative and productive. They also stay around longer. Everyone wins.
Does Workplace Utopia sound too fantastical?
Maybe. The ideas aren’t. Wellbeing has become a necessity for many companies. In the workplace of tomorrow, mental health, physical fitness, and emotional resilience could be at the forefront.
We should continue to push for more wellness initiatives until then. We may not have reached our destination yet, but we are on the right track. And who wouldn’t like a world where work and wellness go hand-in-hand?
