View From Within: To Release the Intelligence
To begin with, stress (nervous breakdown) simply prevents you from concentrating. As it developing, it doesn’t allow you to work at full efficiency and interferes with your career growth. You are compelled either to take leave (if they will give it to you), or look for another job. Eventually, for companies, it turns into large losses. The disaster of the second half of the twentieth century has successfully moved into the new century. Among the reasons for stress are unsuccessful office interiors and the wrong organization of workplaces. Therefore, in the last decade, top firms in developed countries have began to give more attention to the internal decoration and arrangement of premises. If previously the main factor in interiors for serious corporations was prestige, now it also the health of the firm as a whole, and the individual employees.
Ping-pong is not a toy
Among the reasons causing stress for employees in offices, experts also name badly designed premises. Of course, this doesn’t include "juice squeezer" companies, where the source of stress is a boss that hassles subordinates and intentionally supports internal squabbles so that employees do not unite against it. It is clear that in such places the interior is powerless. English organization the British Council of Offices (www.bco.org.uk), studies the questions connected with offices, and in a report specifies that a well thought out design raises the efficiency of employees by almost a quarter and accordingly raises the profit of companies. On the contrary, an unsuccessful design and badly selected furniture worsen the state of health of employees and do not allow them to work with full efficiency, specifies magazine Real Estate, Facilities and Project (RFР).
As RFP writes, it is important that the physical environment does not provoke and does not develop stress, and, on the contrary, removes pressure without reducing the working capacity. A boss who looks to the future will equip his office not ostentatiously for visitors, but with the employees in mind. An office, say experts, should not be noisy and packed with employees - this is distractful and does not allow employees to concentrate. Bright colors are extremely undesirable. Lighting should be sufficient and uniform. An employee has the right to choose the intensity of lighting, which at a subconscious level creates a good mood in the person. Headaches and anxiety at times arise because of excessively bright lighting, patches of light, dimness, blinking lights, unsuccessful color scale, etc. Lighting directly influences the work of the liver and kidneys and adjusts the allocation of adrenaline (frequent allocation of this hormone destroys the nervous system).
Some firms make free premises for employees to chat or, for example, have tennis tables so people can get rid of any nervous pressure in their breaks (instead of cigarette breaks and during lunchtime).
Now, writes RFР, companies are no longer limited with the organization of a dining hall or kitchen. Areas/premises to emotionally unwind specially intended for dialogue between people are created. Designer Michael Lam from firm Artlink Design Associates says that rooms for emotional unwinding should differ from the other premises: a person should feel "outside of work" for some time. Designers aspire to create special conditions in establishments: with plants and soft colors.
According to Lam, some clients, especially banks, order an interior reflecting the bright colors of their brand. But Lam advises more terrestrial colors (for example, green), as they are the least distracting. In general, various shades of green, including natural plants, are recommended more often as green energy positively influences people.
David Faulkner, chairman of the valuation committee at RICS in Hong Kong and regional director of Colliers International, considers that buildings that are adequately environmentally friendly with a well thought out design, allowing to save energy, and manageable and suitable for those who will work there, are increasing in price. If the above factors are not taken into account, even a successful geographical position will not help – the value of the building will go down. Research carried out by Jones Lang LaSalle together with CoreNet Global in South-East Asia, has shown that the majority of tenants are ready to pay more for ecologically friendly real estate.
Questions of environmental friendliness and energy saving has begun to disturb employers more. Paul Scroggy, director of Knight Frank, is convinced that in the future, class A buildings will only be considered as class A if they suit clients’ functional purposes and are ergonomic.
Cells kill
An apologist of the new approach to decoration and design is American architect and theorist of architecture Christopher Alexander. In his opinion, in the US in the last few years the concept of the arrangement of premises has neglected the person and its emotional condition. He is categorically against the lifelessness of office space. Instead of simple partitions, in his opinion, it is better to arrange a large premises with special furniture. If there is no opportunity to place employees in separate rooms, then high and wide cases, racks with boxes, shelves, compartments etc, can, in his opinion, naturally fence off separate working zones.
Alexander is convinced that employees should place furniture how it is convenient for them and equip working space to their taste. It should be their territory in which the boss should not interfere. Everyone has a right to bring something to this isolated space. For example, an aquarium with small fishes – who cares? The main thing is that their work does not suffer.
In the last few years especially there has been a lot of censures about pens fenced off by partitions (with a height of 1.5-2m). Experts have come to the conclusion that the closed space of such cells oppresses and destroys the brain. Office "cells" kill initiative and creativity, stimulate inadequate behavior, promote adiposity, and develop asthma and depression, experts approve. They are especially fatal for hi-tech companies and for creative employees of any company. Now many firms refuse such a layout. On the contrary, places at windows with natural light promote creative thinking. It is especially good if there are natural greens. Indoor plants, fountains, pictures - all this restores nervous energy.
The Wall Street Journal has noticed a new tendency, having written that American hi-tech companies like Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems and Sun Microsystems are developing new concepts of working spaces, rejecting partition-cell premises like the labyrinths that were popular in the 80s and 90s of the last century. Cisco began the reconstruction of offices in 2004 and approves that as a result of it they have managed to cut expenses on the maintenance of premises by 37 per cent due to an increase in the working capacity of the personnel. On carrying out internal research, Intel has come to the conclusion that partitioned space kills the creative thinking of 50 per cent of employees. The research also showed that the majority of people would like to be in a big open premise. Now in developed countries more than 70 per cent of employees work in spacious, open premises.
Partitions are especially senseless in companies where employees often travel, are in negotiations, at conferences or have the opportunity to work at home. In a spacious premises anyone can occupy any empty seat convenient for them, for example at a window. Besides moving a laptop from one table (a place on one big table) to another there is no hard work.
The body is present but the soul is absent
In developed countries the creation of a harmonious office in which a worker is seen as a personality is becoming a priority, without which a company cannot count on success in business. But in Russia, in this respect, it has only just started. "Western companies working in Russia, especially American, pay big attention to ergonomics, which has a direct relationship to stress,” says Tom Lukich, sales manager at Office Solutions. “Unfortunately, in 12 years of working in Russia I haven’t heard of even one Russian company that has mentioned the concept of an "anti-stressful office." Profit is currently more interesting, than the health of employees."
The anti-stress level of an office depends on the level of the development of the business, the field of activity of the company, and some other factors. "In Finland the first person to sign papers on the purchase of office furniture is a doctor,” Sergey Dudkin, general director of the Moscow office of Nayada, gives as an example. “In many foreign companies the decision about furniture and the organization of workplaces, etc, are made by the manager of the personnel. We have come across such an approach working with Kone, Otis and a number of other companies."
However, Dudkin is optimistic: "5-7 years ago an employer couldn’t be bothered to create comfortable working conditions for employees, but now the situation has changed. The deficit of qualified personnel and the growing requirements of the personnel are forcing many companies to be engaged in the preparation of workers themselves. In such conditions employers aspire to keep a person in the company and raise the efficiency of their work. The concepts of "profit" and "comfortable conditions" are no longer opposed, but complement each other."
"However, Russian companies are starting to think about anti-stressful factors and the subject of acoustics. The sale of soundproof panels and coverings that reduce noise levels have risen tens of times. We come across technical projects on sound insulation and noise-suppression in almost every second office. Acoustic companies cannot cope with orders - their production is so demanded now. Gardening in offices has also increased. Architects more and more pay attention to a balanced color scheme, and the degree of light exposure. In the conditions of a long Moscow winter, one of the most important anti-stress factors is the penetration of daylight and the correct maintenance of premises with artificial lighting."
Taisiya Kapridova, the manager of architectural bureau Sretenka has a similar opinion: "Many companies that make long-term plans think about the health of their employees. Of course, they count the charges connected with this question. "Anti-stress" does not mean "magnificent" at all. The approach to arranging/decorating an office is a problem not for the finance department as much as company’s management in defining the primary goals of its current activity and development."
Synonyms of the concept "stressful office", in her opinion, are faceless and monotonous. "People face the most stress not from the quantity and intensity of work, but from its mechanical monotony," says Kapridova.
At the same time she recognizes the existing conventional attitude to people: "Some examples from practice suggest an opposite approach. A customer sees before itself only one purpose - to place a certain number of workplaces in a set territory and economize the space. An employer designing a premises comes to a company to deliver office furniture. As a result there is a divide - the body of the office is present, but the soul is absent."
Purposes and funds
Irina Artyomova, deputy director of the office real estate department at Knight Frank, pays attention to that fact that in modern conditions the internal space of offices firstly worries the tenant, instead of the developer. As a rule, office premises are given to a company unfurnished. The most important thing a tenant wants to receive is a good place, convenient from the point of view of transport availability. For representative offices such a requirement as a beautiful view from a window is more often put forward. And, of course, the building should be equipped with modern engineering systems."
In a situation where there is a deficit of premises and high rental costs as in the Moscow market, far from every employer thinks of the psychological condition of the employees,” continues Artyomova. “If an office corresponds to an anti-stressful premises, it should correspond to a number of parameters. For example, 10 sq.m of office space per person. Western companies that rent offices in Moscow business centers try to consider this parameter. Russian companies at present do not give this question much attention yet," recognizes Artyomova.
Natalia Vetlugina, head of the analytical service at Novy Gorod, divides the problem into several components. "There are several different purposes which an employer can pursue. The anti-stressful approach can be important for an employer. The main question is not the conditions in an office, but how much time is spent getting to the office. Therefore often the owner of a firm, if he lives outside the city, sets up a back-office, to be as close to his home as possible. Because otherwise it will be bad when the boss finally gets to the office," she describes as the first aspect of the problem. "The second aspect is an anti-stressful environment for the client. It’s not a secret that for favorable negotiating an atmosphere needs to be created from a psychological approach. If the windows of a meeting room are located on a busy street, if it has too many bright colors or, on the contrary, very faded colors, etc, the probability that the negotiations will end unsuccessfully increases. Therefore in decorating the office this purpose must not be forgotten."
As for the creation of an anti-stressful environment for the ordinary employees, that question, in Vetlugina's opinion, lays on the conscience of the employer and depends on the possibilities. "It is a rather complicated question because people come to work for work, not for rest. There are some basic conditions for a normal, functioning office. Firstly, ventilation and lighting. Both should be sufficient. Second, functionality – the correct and convenient organization of a workplace. Many companies very often save on premises, and as a result people literally sit on each others heads," she says.
In an ideal world
According to Artyomova, for the creation of an anti-stressful effect companies currently use panoramic windows so that premises are full of air and light. Quality furnishings, convenient layout and furniture, etc, are also used. Of course, the most successful variant, in her opinion, is your own private building with high ceilings, isolated premises and a fenced territory with trees and bushes. But only successful companies, mainly from the financial or consulting services sphere, and large corporations connected with raw materials can afford this.
"I like Ecco’s office on ulitsa Dovzhenko. They own a private building with thoughtful decoration, a huge adjoining green territory and a large, convenient car park. All this impresses favorably and creates comfortable conditions for the employees of the company and visitors to the office," says Artyomova.
"Good sound proofing, correct lighting with maximum use of daylight, good ventilation, balanced heating, ergonomic arrangement of workplaces, and aesthetic design,” describes Sergey Dudkin of the components of anti-stressful office. “Offices must have as comfortable as possible working conditions. With this purpose every workplace is designed in view of the work for which it is intended: how it should/can be separated from the point of view of noise, light and extraneous sights, where there should be computers, faxes, printers, where to keep folders with documents, etc."
In his belief, despite the terrible expensiveness of premises in Moscow, a humane office is impossible to be without rooms for coffee breaks and zones for informal and working communication between employees. In other words, offices must not only be convenient to work, but also simply be pleasant in general. Something interesting should be in the design so that employees will be proud of it and want to show someone.
"It is difficult to name an example of an ideal anti-stressful office in Russia at the moment,” says Dudkin. Nevertheless, it is possible that next year there might be one. At least it has been declared by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), of which Nayada is a member. WWF plans to transform a building in which the fund is now located into the first eco-building in Moscow. During the reconstruction they intend to use progressive energy efficiency, ecologically pure technologies and advanced engineering-building solutions that will allow to save thermal and electric energy, to increase the use of daylight as much as possible, to lower the consumption of water, etc."
Lukich thinks that ideally an office building should be located in a green, ecologically clean territory with a park nearby. "Unfortunately, the severe reality in most cases does not leave a choice, and we are located in areas overloaded with people and cars. As for decoration, furniture, the arrangement of premises, art decoration and aesthetics, on these factors we can and should influence. We spend the majority of our time at the office and consequently are simply obliged to make conditions around us comfortable and cozy. It is the best way to avoid stress in a workplace. However sometimes, reality is different from the ideal because of the desire of a customer to reduce the price of the project," notes Lukich.
In Kapridova’s opinion, the main thing is that all aspects of the decoration correspond with the general corporate style of the company following from its philosophy and strategy. "This is an office in which it is possible to transfer the sensation of space and the impression of a uniform, harmoniously working organism: break places and informal dialogue of employees, communications between departments and services are well thought out, everything promotes a positive perception of the image of the company for customers, the effective interaction of its employees, their high working capacity and a good mood," she describes.
Tasks and prices
A harmonious office requires money, and each firm itself decides what is better - to move to a double-exit courtyard because of staff defections or if there is prospect of growth, to start to invest in your own arrangement.
According to Dudkin, the cost of furnishing an office depends on the materials, whether there is a central ventilation system and air-conditioning, the level of popularity of the designer or architect engaged in the decoration, etc. The starting price to decorate a decent office ranges from $500-$600 per sq. m. "The highest is limited only by the imagination of the customer. The average ranges from $500 to $2,000-$3,000 per sq.m. The creation of an anti-stressful office slightly increases the cost of a project. The starting price of decorating a harmonious office in a high quality building is $600-$800 per sq.m."
Kapridova gives the following prices: architecturally designed decoration – 1,500-1,800 rubles per sq.m, the design of engineering systems - 300-500 rubles per sq.m, realization of the project (painting and decorating, the installation of engineering systems, finishing materials) - from 14,000 rubles per sq.m, furniture - from 3,000 rubles per sq.m. Such level of expenses, in her opinion, is a necessary condition of forming an anti-stressful office.
"Those employers,” summarizes Lukich, “who care about the health of employees and who face this problem, are ready to allocate sums exceeding the norm on the decoration of their offices, without economizing to save the health of their people. For example, I know a firm where they have a fitness zone located on half the rented area of the premises. Without leaving the office, employees can do sports to keep themselves in good physical form."