April marks Stress Awareness Month, and at OFP, our people are our priority. We are very aware that ‘stress and poor mental health are one of the biggest public health challenges that we’re facing’ (The Stress Management Society), and we want to do whatever we can to help and support our team members through stress and help them to feel happier and more positive.
This is why we have made a conscious effort this month to support our people with any stresses and pressures they have. We have seen real benefits to our team as a result of these initiatives, and it is something we will continue to grow and expand on beyond Stress Awareness Month.
EXERCISE
The Stress Management Society says, ‘We continue to separate mental health from physical health and vice versa. They cannot be separate – they are two sides of the same coin. There is no health without mental health, and stress can lead to numerous health problems.’
One of our initiative this month to help reduce stress is to encourage exercise. Being active releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good – boosting self-esteem and supporting staff to concentrate, sleep well, and feel healthier. This is why we offer a free gym within our office to all of our team.
We have also encouraged our team to get outdoors more during their breaks; it always helps as the weather gets warmer! They have been taking photos on their walks to encourage each other and put smiles on their faces.
Beautiful walks and scenery around the office
Karolina has been enjoying the walk to work and on the weekends:
Alex has been embracing the outdoors more often by enjoying scenic drives:
TRAINING
Stress can affect us all in different ways. To understand this more, another one of our initiatives has been the training and educating of our senior team members. This will give us the understanding and tools to support our team through times of stress. Our Executive Director, Alex Leroy, recently attended a course on ‘Coping With Stress’.
This course has helped us learn more about identifying what stress is and recognising triggers to anticipate any problems and plan how to solve them to try and reduce stress.
WOODEN INTERIOR
Studies have shown that cognitive abilities are increased by 61% in green or sustainably constructed buildings, which increases to 101% when additional ventilation rates are introduced. The people within a building do not just cause positive environments; the building itself greatly influences the positivity levels. A green environment can boost productivity & levels of satisfaction. (Sources: York University; Saint Gobain MultiComfort; Human Research Austria; Stommel Haus; Make it Wood; Wood 100 Organisational Psychology)
A study was conducted with 32 school pupils over one school year. It revealed that pupils in the timber classrooms were more relaxed, slept better and experienced a significant drop in heart rates. The study concluded that along with benefits such as speedy construction, sustainability and aesthetics, the long-term effects of timber on health and well-being were largely positive.
Another study found that office workers with wooden interiors have reported increased feelings of innovation, energy and comfort.
Both these studies’ results suggest that timber can help reduce stress levels and create healthy environments. And we couldn’t agree more!
When we were designing our offices, it was an easy decision for us. We wanted the design to reflect our company values and beliefs. At OFP, we believe in green, natural and sustainable buildings. Not only do our offices reflect who we are, but they also positively impact our team as ‘OFP Employees have found working in the wooden interior has increased innovation, energy, and comfort.’
What else have we been up to help reduce stress and improve wellbeing?
- Research has shown that happy, upbeat music causes our brains to produce chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which evoke feelings of joy, and calming music soothes the mind and the body. Therefore, we have committed to creating the perfect playlist for our office, which increases productivity, and happiness and reduces stress levels.
- Our office has plenty of windows, allowing us to enjoy most of the natural light throughout our working day, decreasing the risk of migraines caused by artificial lighting. And although we can only enjoy the sunlight through windows, the solar panels on the roof can fully absorb the advantages of this with our office electricity being powered solely by green energy. How cool is that?
- We are introducing office plants, which reliably reduce VOCs (volatile organic compound) and increase oxygen-to-carbon dioxide ratios.
In all, we have made significant advancements this month to support our people through stressful times. This is something that we will continue to improve each month.
Speaking about our wellbeing initiatives, Alex Leroy, our Executive Director, says, “Coping with stress is so important, now more than ever. We can’t avoid it, unfortunately, but we can recognise it and build resilience with things like exercise, looking after each other and ourselves and getting enough sleep. Sounds simple but they’re important powerful tools. This may be the month to make ourselves aware of it, but it is something that we will be sure to keep at the forefront of our minds all year around.”
If you have any questions about us, our team, our company or our products, then get in touch!
T: 01304 613298