4 ways that working from the office can boost mental health and promote wellbeing

In a world that seems to be moving almost too fast sometimes to keep up, looking after not only our own mental health, but also friends, family, colleagues and employees has never been so important. It is currently estimated that in London alone, there are 914,300 adults of working age suffering with a common mental disorder, such as anxiety or depression and when we consider that we spend so much of our time at work, caring for our mental health at work takes on an even greater importance.

Post pandemic, there has been a large shift towards remote working, and although there are arguable benefits to working from home, in this article, we will take a look at 4 ways working from the office could be a benefit to our mental and physical wellbeing.

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1.     Culture of support and community development

A positive workplace culture, where employees feel supported and valued, is an important part of success within a business and integral in the support of employee mental health. Regular interaction with colleagues, regular social activities, that help to build team morale and feeling a part of the workplace community all have a positive effect on mental health and this, while still possible through remote company, is much harder to achieve due to a lack of integration and socialisation.

2.     Structured routine and work life balance

It is no secret that when working from home, the lines between work and home can become somewhat blurred, particularly in many of the smaller spaces London has to offer as living accommodation and this can start to have an impact on the structure of our day.

 Similarly, breaking away from the office for lunch and travel to and from the office can help us to compartmentalise work, reducing the risk of burnout and managing stress. This can be difficult to replicate when working from home, when using the same space for work, break and relaxing.

3.     Professional development

Continued professional development is an important component of positive mental health within the workplace as it has direct links to personal development. CPD can help individuals to feel not only more fulfilled, but also less anxious and more resilient to changes that could otherwise bring about stress and burnout.

It is often also linked to community connection as professional development often involves networking opportunities and sharing experiences with one another, which can help to prevent feelings of isolation when working and create confidence to progress. This can again be difficult to replicate at home as social aspects of the workplaces become difficult to maintain.

4.     Physical activity and health benefits

Studies time and time again have linked better mental health to physical wellbeing and exercise and we are now living such busy lives that it can be hard to find a time to fit this in. One benefit that working from the office provides to our mental health is a chance for regular exercise when travelling to and from work, whether that be walking or cycling or even just accessing public transport, all provide an opportunity to improve our mental wellbeing, before we’ve even started our work day.

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The benefits of the office can often be overlooked when considering our mental health and overall wellbeing, but there are definite positive impacts many of which center around the community found within the workplace and in the work focused age we find ourselves in, it seems imperative to create workplaces where our mental health can be prioritized to benefit not only our employees, but also the business itself.

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