Designing Workspaces for Movement: Strategies for Promoting Employee Health and Wellness
Movement is an essential aspect of human life. Unfortunately, modern living has made it easier for people to lead sedentary lifestyles. As a result, various health problems, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders, have become common. This has led to an increased focus on promoting movement and physical activity in buildings and communities. The WELL Building Standard includes movement as one of its core concepts, recognizing the important role that movement plays in promoting human health and wellness.
Active transportation is one of the strategies that can promote movement in buildings and communities. This involves designing buildings and communities to encourage walking, cycling, and the use of public transport. Physical activity spaces are another strategy that can promote movement. These spaces are designed to encourage people to engage in physical activity, including exercise, stretching, and yoga.
Active design is another strategy that promotes movement. This involves designing buildings and spaces to encourage physical activity and movement. For example, stairs can be designed to be more visible and attractive than elevators, encouraging people to use them. Ergonomics is also an essential aspect of promoting movement. This involves designing furniture and workspaces that are comfortable and ergonomic, encouraging people to move around and engage in physical activity.
The WELL Building Standard recognizes the importance of movement in promoting health and wellness. It includes specific features and requirements related to movement, including the provision of bicycle parking, showers, and changing rooms to encourage active transportation, the provision of physical activity spaces, the incorporation of active design features, and the implementation of ergonomic design principles.
In summary, movement is an essential aspect of human health and wellness. The WELL Building Standard recognizes the importance of movement in promoting health and wellness and includes strategies and requirements related to movement in buildings and communities. These strategies, including active transportation, physical activity spaces, active design, and ergonomics, can help promote movement and physical activity, leading to improved health and wellness for building occupants.
| WELL Credit Criteria: Movement | Strategies to Design Workspace |
|---|---|
| 1. Active Transportation | – Design bike storage facilities<br>- Provide secure lockers and shower facilities<br>- Encourage walking or biking to work through incentivization programs |
| 2. Physical Activity Spaces | – Design active workstations such as standing desks<br>- Provide on-site fitness facilities such as a gym or fitness classes<br>- Encourage physical activity breaks during the workday |
| 3. Active Design | – Design stairs prominently and make them more attractive to use<br>- Provide outdoor spaces for relaxation and physical activity<br>- Promote the use of natural light and outdoor views to encourage movement |
| 4. Ergonomics | – Design workstations and furniture to promote good posture and reduce musculoskeletal disorders<br>- Offer ergonomic assessments and training for employees<br>- Provide adjustable seating and work surfaces to accommodate different body types and sizes |
| 5. Movement-friendly Layouts | – Design open floor plans to encourage movement and interaction between employees<br>- Provide spaces for stretching, yoga, and other low-impact exercises<br>- Create walking paths and routes throughout the workspace |