Mens sana in corpore sano is a well-known expression which literally translates as ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’. It comes from a second-century Roman poem which explored the intellectual, athletic and spiritual environment necessary for full and complete happiness. 

Although the second century was rather a long time ago, the very same principles apply to everyday life today and nowhere is it more relevant than the place in which we spend the majority of our time: the office.

According to IFMA Spain at its recent Workplace Summit, companies with healthy environments and happy employees can expect to see productivity and their overall market competitiveness increase by 20 per cent.

A significant 10 per cent of this happiness, according to the University of California, is made up of daily situations which arise in the working environment – no wonder it’s something that so many companies strive to get right.

If we look at these environments in more detail, it’s clear that a critical mass of an airy, well-lit office, flexible hours, a good leader and a clear progression path amount to happiness in the workplace. In fact, according to a survey from Adecco VII, 75 per cent of people believe these factors are what contribute to their good mood in the office.

So what role does our working environment have and how can we ensure that employees benefit from the surroundings in which they spend the majority of their time?

You might not notice it, but everything from the climate, water placement, air quality, natural light or the quality of artificial light and the elimination of pollution particles amass to make or break an office. The wrong design can have a significant effect on employees' wellbeing, in turn reducing productivity and overall results.

With regards to a healthy lifestyle, many companies encourage employee exercise, by promoting a gym or developing healthy activities that increase proactively from their employees such as running teams and tennis.

A determining and differentiating factor of many companies is promoting the mental health of their employees, through policies and actions that boost mental and emotional wellbeing and help stress management such as yoga, meditation and quiet spaces to relax in.

We are at an exciting moment in the conception of new ways of working. New working environments should go beyond the physical and we therefore need to embrace spaces holistically, taking into consideration the use of technology, mobility and accessibility.

An optimised and integrated working environment will, in the long run, not only increase happiness amongst employees but also increase the viability and profitability of the places in which we work.

Further information

Read more: Savills Aguirre Newman Vision 2019 Barcelona