Open Plan Offices less stressed and more active

An American study has discovered that people who work in an open plan office are more active and less stressed, than those in private offices or in cubicles.

We should learn from the potential health benefits for our office workers who mostly need to be in close proximity to their desks and therefore usual the most sedentary working group of people.

Unfortunately Office Workers are more likely to have health issues, including stress, heart problems, tiredness, low mood and weight issues, due to this lack of movement.

The study of 231 office workers in an American Government building by the University of Arizona, showed those in open-plan offices - with no partitions between desks - clocked up 32% more physical activity than workers in private offices and 20% more than those in cubicles.

Stress levels where also reduced by 14% outside of the office compared to those who were less active.

We all know we need to increase our activity, this would be a passive way to get people moving every day.  Also as we are human we natural migrate to being in a group and to look to connect.  With social media and our mobile phone in hand connecting with our colleagues on a daily face to face basis seems to becoming more difficult. Companies are now having phone free zones to enable work relationships to develop. 

Removing walls is another way for the team to connect as well as helping people to be more active. 

To read the study in more detail https://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2018/07/27/oemed-2018-105077