What would you love your office to provide to improve your wellbeing?

[NotPennysBoat]

I've got an interview next week where I'll be asked about my ideas for initiatives to implement to improve employee wellbeing, and although I've got a few ideas they all seem pretty standard offerings.

It's a large office-based environment, and obviously only hypothetical at this stage so no restrictions and budget no object (but nothing too silly - weekly visits from Cillian Murphy wouldn't fly!).

I'd love to hear of any amazing things your companies do, or what you wish they'd do!

We also get a pay rise each year and an annual bonus. Plus paid maternity.
Training is massive and new bit drop each month that are compulsory but we have a portal where you can search and train on pretty much anything for free.
Promotions are accessible and frequent with training and support provided, including work from home days and virtual conferences for each group being put through the training. (Months long not just a day)

I'd just like workloads to be resourced properly.
However, something that is pretty much free to implement is mentoring, which I find really beneficial in having someone completely outside my reporting structure to talk to, and work through things with

Look into Moneypenny in Wrexham, North Wales. They have the best office set up I've heard of, they treat their staff so well and their offices are amazing. I've not worked there but they seem to keep hold of their staff so must be doing something right. Good luck 😊

One thing my very large company has is a variety of social clubs. The company really just provides the space for people to meet and allows the company network to be used for organizing. I don’t think there is much expense involved because we pay fees to do things like hire instructors for an art class and make those decisions as a club. It’s just nice to be able to meet at lunchtime for some practice and some social time or be allowed to reserve a conference room for a Saturday when we have hired an instructor for a special all day class. I know there are also the more traditional sports teams and the like, but there has been a real effort to foster social groups for a variety of people.

Yeah, more money please.

I know that's not what you want to hear

Plants for the office - they make a good difference to both air quality (and mood I think!).

Extra day off for birthday.

A duvet day a year that employees can take whenever they need a rest.

Encouragement from management to take lunch hour and leave on time.

My office has a breastfeeding room which is private, lockable, has a comfy chair, sink, fridge (with lockable compartments) and lockers and can be used for expressing milk. I found it so useful when first going back to work when DD was 9 months.

Somewhere nice to sit during a lunch break. We have nowhere so everyone sits at their desk in a tiny cramped office and inevitably does work whilst eating.

I worked at a publisher that had a twice-weekly visiting massage therapist. We paid for our own massages, but they were heavily discounted, and we did not have to take the time out of our lunch breaks. Proper on-the-skin massages, with a selection of oils, lying on a proper massage couch.

It has been introduced as a measure to prevent and treat RSIs, but the massage therapist would treat whatever part of your body needed treating - hands, back, scalp, feet. She was amazing. You would return to your work invigorated.

Another thing the company did that made a huge difference was to personalise all our work stations. In the first few months after starting you would be visited by an Occupational Health person who would assess your work station and action any modifications. Customise your desk height, provide/change a footrest, change your chair/mouse/keyboard etc. and you could request a visit at any time if it didn't work for you. This was another RSI initiative, but also went a long way to improving general well-being in the office.

We all had fan-heaters under our desks so that the office didn't have to be too warm for some or too cold for others.

Whenever we had a new starter, a manager would put a big tub of chocolates on their desk and send an email round announcing their arrival. Because everyone knew this they would all go and say hello so that they could have a chocolate.

It really was a very nice place to work!

Glad someone else mentioned how traumatising dogs can be to some people!

Usually management just want to have a lunchtime seminar on resilience.

Being open about pay rises, when and how people can get them.
In my old office it depended on how much of a fuss you made to get a rise, so if you didn't say anything you didn't get one.

Making sure there is no gender pay gap and that mothers are welcomed back after leave, this would involve being flexible with fathers so the load can be equally shared.

Enabling part time workers equal opportunities for promotion and not being seen as stuck in a dead end.

Flexible working from home / in the office.

Making sure presenteeism isn't happening, it's a waste of time for everyone. If someone does their job properly then they should be able to leave on time without being seen as a slacker, unlike the ones who have messed around all day then get going later on.
Perhaps recognising some people are morning workers and some are more productive later on in the day. No one is very productive after lunch.

Hot and cold parts of the office - so those that like it warmer can sit on the left bank of desks, those that like it cooler on the cold side

Even if you can't offer true flexible working, off people the opportunity to extend their lunch hour so they can fit exercise into the middle of their day. So rather than doing 9-5.30 with an hour for lunch, they can opt (say 3 days a week) to do 9-6 with an hour and a half for lunch - allowing them time to exercise (class/run/whatever) and then shower and be back at their desk. Proper use of your lunch hour plus enough time to actually fit in some activity.

Yes, lots of puppies. Ore even only one.

We had a lovely reflexology man pre Covid. Once a week, bookable slots, highly subsidised and just amazing. Didn’t need to be in your lunchtime.

We also had a car valeting person a few times, also subsidised rather than free.

We also have free access to mental health support/counselling sessions, which I haven’t used but lots of people do.

Massive pension contributions

Things I’ve had in the past that have been appreciated -

The chance to book a (seated) back and shoulder massage from a team of professionals who attended our London offices once a week

Weekly yoga classes

Baskets of toiletries and sanitary products in the loos (it surprised me how cared for this made me feel)

Staff room makeover with nice soft furnishings and plants etc

Occasional cakes/nice biscuits in meetings

Really, all I want is a decent occ health/HR department that actually helps support staff with health issues, and proper return to work following sickness. I couldn’t care less about free tea or coffee or whatever, I just want to be able to do my job and not feel so demoralised by the lack of support to get me back up and running that I’m contemplating leaving.

More staff

Easier less pain in the ass clunky systems and processes

I really like this idea:

Whenever we had a new starter, a manager would put a big tub of chocolates on their desk and send an email round announcing their arrival. Because everyone knew this they would all go and say hello so that they could have a chocolate.

Really cheap and easy but means new starters would get to know some more people.

I am a big fan of genuinely facilitating extended lunch hours for exercise as well.

My all time favourite has to be early finish Fridays - in my old organisation it was only in our quieter time of year, and only if you'd clocked your hours already that week (so always had) but you could then leave at 2 on a Friday.

Toaster and microwave available. Being able to have a toasted bagel for lunch or a slice of toast for a snack is such a treat. I'm assuming tea, coffee, milk and cold water are a given but if not then those (and not terrible tea out a machine!).

We used to run a yoga class as well - we found a yoga teacher who did private lessons for e.g. £30 an hour or whatever, then people signed up in advance for 6 sessions at £2 each and once we had the requisite 15 attendees we arranged the 6 weeks worth of sessions. Vastly cheaper than even a local authority class and went down well. Obviously ideally the firm would pay but depending on the organisation that might not be feasible.

Flexible hours where the core hours allow you to do school pick up. Clearly it wouldn't be possible to do pick up every day with full time hours, but everywhere I've seen with core hours require staff to be in the office until 4pm. Being able to do school pick up once or twice a week would be ideal.

Dividing up space so that it's not open plan would suit me (but clearly not everyone!) I hate having the noise of 50 people around me when I'm trying to concentrate.

However, while well being seems to be the current buzz phrase, no chocolates, massages and mindfulness will help if people are given more work than they can manage in the time they are employed for, are badly managed, or are stressed about money worries being they aren't being paid enough to live on.

Ban all fundraising activities in the office - no more being guilt gripped into funding someone’s marathon dream, or their kids gap yar trek round Peru! No-one is allowed to mass email for personal use.

limit birthday/retirement/baby present requests to £2 each (or whatever reflects a realistic and affordable amount for your lowest paid staff). Yes everyone knows billy big balls the director can afford a tenner a month but maybe the admin part timer with 3 kids can just about scrape £1. Even better the company uses its own profits for a £20 birthday, baby, retirement, wedding present for every staff member.

allow staff to play music through headphones when not taking calls if they want to.

don’t make staff sit through an hour long induction video on “taking regular 5 minute breaks and setting up your desk appropriately for you” when the company doesn’t allow for this in any form. Scrap the video or get occy health to personalise each desk (as per pp) and genuinely encourage screen and desk breaks.

no enforced socialising- ever.

no corporate bonding days when they force you to reveal the innermost workings of your mind, personality traits, secrets and weak spots in the name of improving moral. Terribly intrusive and very unnecessary.

free tea, coffee and milk and fresh cold water.

I think that’s about it. I realise I sound like an anti social misery guts 🤣

DH company owns the whole building, they rented space to a barber, DH loves it, he can have a haircut at lunchtime or when he doesn’t have meetings on. They also facilitate laundry service doing pick up and drop offs of dry cleaning. They used to have a car cleaning service, he’s hoping that comes back. And they have free coffee.

Oh they also have an onsite clinic/pharmacy.

Things I value in my work place:

• Genuinely flexible working, not 10-1600 core hours half arse

• Meeting free Fridays

• Summer Fridays (early finish April - September)

• Two weeks in August where no internal meetings are held

Volunteering half days together as a team would be a nice one to suggest in an interview. I always enjoy the team things more when there is a purpose, and you get to know your colleagues way more outside of the office environment doing a charity walk together or beach clean than you do awkwardly standing around at a drinks.