The work environment has changed a lot over the past couple of decades. Each setup over the past 70 years had its own pros and cons. In the 50’s offices had the Bullpen, which featured a large open area which ensured productivity because everyone was visible, the 70’s had the cubicle which boosted privacy, making formal attire less worn. But the next few decades reduced the size of the cubicle by up to 50%. But today, employees are looking for workplaces that value the work/life balance, and support their health and well-being, and offer flexibility and perks. Simple perks, such as free snacks, keep employees healthy, happy, and productive.

Productivity is affected by many things in a worker’s life and health is something that affects it very much. Poor health in a worker can lead to almost 3 times as likely to experience high stress, which can further wreak havoc on their lives, more than 2 times as likely to be disengaged from their work, and 1.25 times more likely to come into work sick, increasing the chance of this happening, creating a feedback loop that always ends in less work done and more unhappy people. Breaks also promote increased productivity and, according to one study, over the course of a session, the chance judges gave of parole faded from 65% to nearly 0%, but after a break, it jumped back to 65%. All this goes to show having a relaxed environment, breaks, and even just free food can improve health in office workers, increase productivity, and generally raise the spirits of all workers.

Find out more simple things that can be done to help improve the office experience altogether and how the office as a whole is changing quickly and how to keep up with the future of work here: