How Collaborative Working Can Improve Mental Health

Mental health has been in the news a lot recently and rightfully so. Since the lockdowns began in early 2020 most office workers have seen their time at the office reduced substantially. For most, it meant working from home entirely for a period of time and now most workers seem to be in the office 2-3 days a week. Social isolation is not good and is often used as a punishment such as putting unruly prisoners in solitary confinement.

Mental health even has it’s own celebrated day – October 10th and many companies are prioritizing the mental health of their staff. In this short blog post we’re going to look at how collaborative working, and particularly serviced offices, can help with the wellbeing of your staff members.

Mental health cost UK businesses over £30 billion every year through lost production, recruitment and absences. This doesn’t include the negative effects on the individuals concerned. Co-working spaces are the perfect place for people to interact with others, share ideas and collaborate.

Serviced offices are perfect to keep the work life balance which is hard to do if you work from home all the time, particularly if you live in a small home and have to share it with several family members. Even if you have a larger home with some designated office space a collaborative environment gives you the chance to not only change your work environment but also to mix and communicate with others which has significant benefits to your mental health.

Many of these types of facilities have breakout areas, cafes and even health and fitness activities that are easily accessed by their members. Many hot desking locations are flexible with their terms and people can pop in and work at the times that suit them.

A number of serviced offices have multiple locations in their portfolio so workers can often choose which location they want to go to, based on proximity or ease of commute. The reduction in commute is often a huge boost to mental health along with the costs saved.

There is even such a thing these days as mental health first aiders. While these people can easily put a plaster on your finger or perform the Heimlich maneuver they are also trained just to listen and also look out for signs of more serious underlying mental health problems. Many companies and office settings have qualified mental health first aiders on hand, so if you feel the need to chat with one ask if there is anyone available.

Collaborative work spaces have so much to offer and they particularly benefit the mental health and wellbeing of their members due to the reasons we’ve discussed above. To find out more about the facilities we offer contact our team who would be happy to answer any of your questions.