Incorporating more glass features into your office interior design not only improves its aesthetics, but could have a big impact on the mental health of employees too.
These days, there are lots of ways to have glazing inside an office, from glass staircases and partitions to balustrades and doors. Over the last few years, it has become a popular choice of material for office fittings as it makes the space feel a lot lighter and brighter, more spacious and, ultimately, more stylish.
While looking great is important when trying to impress clients and customers, the biggest advantage of having glass partitions or staircases is the positive effect it has on staff members.
What is the scale of the mental health problem at work?
It is important to find a job you love doing, but the reality is that many people find going to work incredibly stressful. In fact, 14.7 per cent of people in the UK admit to experiencing mental health problems in the workplace, with this increasing to nearly one-fifth of women in full-time employment.
Poor mental health is also the cause of over half of those going on long-term sick leave, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Indeed, 875,000 people suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2022/23, resulting in 17.1 million working days lost that year.
Sadly, nine per cent of workers have even experienced thoughts of suicide or self-harm, The Workplace Health Report: 2023 reported, showing just how dire the situation has become for lots of employees these days.
How can a well-designed office improve workers’ mental health?
Though glass fixtures and fittings will not magically make staff feel less overwhelmed, their jobs less demanding, or reduce the intense pressures at work, it can enable the office environment to become a more pleasant place.
Lighter office
Installing glass partitions instead of solid walls can make the office feel much lighter, as sunlight can travel through from window to window, instead of being blocked.
Being able to see out of the glass windows wherever you are in the office is also important, as opposed to being shut in a room that has no access to the outside world.
Having to use artificial light all the time can have a negative impact on mental health,
which is why a survey by Future Workplace revealed that access to natural light and outdoor views was the most important thing in the workplace to the 1,614 participants. They came above perks like fitness centres, on-site childcare, and cafeterias.
A lack of natural light can have a detrimental effect on the productivity, performance and enjoyment of an employee, with nearly half admitting to feeling tired and 43 reporting feeling gloomy due to not being able to see the outside world from their office.
There are many benefits of light that improve mental health too, including increasing vitamin D levels, warding off seasonal affective disorder, and boosting quality of sleep.
According to a study, the more natural light workers were exposed to in their office the better they slept, which, in turn, would have made them more energetic and productive at work.
More inclusive
Another reason why offices with glass partitions can boost positivity in the workplace is because they make employees feel more included.
Instead of managers being shut away in their offices, they can easily be seen through the transparent walls. This makes them appear less detached from the rest of the team and more approachable.
Employees who are involved are more likely to feel valued by senior members of staff. Therefore, they will try harder and become more loyal to the company.
Being recognised by your boss is a great morale booster, which can do wonders to a staff member’s confidence and self-esteem, helping to make them feel worthy and more positive when they come into the office every day.
However, feeling excluded from the team or managers can have the opposite effect, making workers feel underappreciated and invisible. Harbouring these feelings every day can take a big toll on one’s mental health in the long-run.
More open and honest environment
As well as not shutting managers away in their own offices, glass partitions and staircases give the illusion of a more open and honest working environment.
For instance, conferences or meetings are not being held discreetly behind closed doors, which could make members of staff feel excluded. Instead, they take place where they can be seen by passersby, removing the feelings of secrecy and confidentiality among employees.
Feeling continuously left out can create barriers between departments or members of staff, which is why having a more transparent ethos in the office can really help support a more sociable and inclusive working environment.
Privacy and discretion can still be maintained thanks to sound-resistant glass, but workers do not feel pushed aside, isolated or abandoned, as they can always see what is going on in other areas of the office.
By creating an open space with glass features, this can make staff feel part of the community more, helping them to form bonds with colleagues and socialise, feel more involved in the business, and enjoy being at work as much as being at home.
These components go far in helping to reduce feelings of depression, anxiety and stress, creating a happier and more loyal workforce and saving companies money on working days lost.
