Wellness coach teams up with office furniture specialist to improve working environments

Laura Butler is working with Chrisbeon Office Supplies, which has bases in Telford and Shrewsbury, to create comfortable and inspiring workplaces that meet the needs of employees and create a culture of wellbeing, happiness and productivity among employees.

The changes within the working environment are being seen as an essential aid to improving staff retention and reducing levels of absenteeism brought about by poor mental health issues.

Laura said: “For me wellbeing is impacted by your environment and productivity, morale and loyalty to an organisation can greatly improve with some simple yet effective and thoughtful tweaks to the working environment.

“The benefits not only have a positive impact on staff but also on a business so thinking about what can be done to improve the situation and taking appropriate action is a win-win for all concerned.

“We have lived through an extraordinary couple of years when the majority of people were forced to stay at home and remote working became the norm. We are now seeing things opening up again and many people returning to the workplace.

“It’s important for people to feel excited about returning to the office after working from home, to have a safe and productive space that helps them feel motivated and that the company cares about them. Wellbeing is about how we feel and our environment plays a big part in that.

“More than a third of employees in the UK say stress at work has a negative impact on them. Stress, anxiety and poor wellbeing affects productivity and can if left unchecked result in periods of time off work.

“The cost in reduced productivity in these cases and possible loss of an employee moving on to a better working environment can be immense - it is estimated that it costs a company about 33 per cent of the employee’s salary to replace that person, so the importance of protecting this most valuable of company assets is huge.

“I am finding that many of my clients are not just investing in the emotional side of wellbeing but also in the office environment. It is a very quick and tangible boost to a team.

“As part of helping businesses create effective wellbeing strategies, I am delighted to be working with Chrisbeon to improve wellbeing in the workplace, encouraging staff back to the office for better connectivity and interaction with their colleagues and that sense of having a dedicated fit for purpose space that allows clarity and focus for their role.”

Richard Hughes, of Chrisbeon, said: “We are already working closely with many businesses within Shropshire and much further afield on their office layouts and furniture needs and have seen a significant change in the way they are thinking with the focus very much on staff wellbeing.

“We are able to help firms plan their office space more effectively and make better use of that space in terms of what they put in it - it’s all part of our specialist consultation service which has been built up over many years of experience and is there for our clients to take advantage of.

“Laura is meeting clients and explaining what works and what doesn’t in terms of wellbeing and mental health and can explain how we at Chrisbeon can help businesses address those concerns in a positive way - it’s an ideal partnership.

“We are providing things like sofas and booths, breakout areas, improved layouts, furniture with a softer look and fabrics which all add to the feel companies are looking for, which will hopefully lead to improved levels of staff wellbeing, better productivity and a greater retention rate of employees.”