How healthy

is your home
workspace?
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Royal HaskoningDHV | How healthy is your home workspace?
 In recent months working from home has become the daily reality for
the majority of office workers, whereas previously it was something
that happened on occasion.

Most people see benefits and want to continue working from home
more often than before. However, for some, it has been very tough.
Even the most enthusiastic home workers are discovering that working
from home for such a long time also has negative consequences.
Even so, after this baptism of fire, it looks like working from home
will continue to take root. That’s why it’s worth taking time to think
a bit more about the home working environment.

The healthy buildings trend started a few years ago and has led to more and more attention
being given to making the working environment healthier. In some offices it has been an
ad hoc initiative driven by the perspectives of people within the organisation. Others have
turned to certification methods such as WELL and Fitwel to guide improvements.

The purpose of these certification schemes is to ensure that employees are better supported,
physically and mentally. Ideally, they create a shift from buildings that cause illness to
buildings that make a positive contribution to health, resulting in positive consequences
for the employee, employer and society.

We know healthy buildings are a good and necessary development, and if you work
from home, a healthy and pleasant home workplace is just as important. But, what
exactly is a healthy home workplace? What do you have to think about? At the office
the work environment is usually well managed, but at home it’s probably up to you.

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 WELL & Fitwel @ home
The WELL Building StandardTM and Fitwel® provide evidence-based guidelines to flesh out
the subject. What if you were to apply these standards to your home workplace? And how
can you give substance to the Health & Wellbeing themes while working from home?

I figured it out to provide a structured approach for you to follow. At its core, it’s all about
removing stressors. A stressor is anything in your environment that is experienced as
unwanted or annoying. The absence of positive influences can sometimes be seen as a
stressor too (for example, lack of a view, or no view of greenery and natural elements).
A simple rule of thumb is to make the inside look more like the outside: more air, light
and nature, less harmful substances.

If we go through WELL and Fitwel, a number of common themes can be formulated.

If you actively manage each of these themes, you will go a long way in creating a healthy
workplace. It is especially important to meet as many conditions as possible, because
together they form a strong whole.

Air Quality
Working in clean and fresh air ensures your brain can do its job, so ventilate well. The
more outside air, the better. You can use a fan for extra air circulation. If dry air is causing
issues such as dry eyes and skin, put a bowl of water on the heater. A damp room is also
not optimal. If windows are fogged up on the inside in the morning, action like a good
airing is necessary - or perhaps you finally need to tackle that humidity problem.
Don’t forget to regularly clean your workplace and room too - ideally using cleaning
products with an eco label. And, of course, ensure there is no smoking inside. This theme
is particularly important if you have allergies. A tip if you are thinking of refurbishing the
space where you work is to use natural materials with as few Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs) as possible. Materials - such as paint - containing VOCs release them over time and
they are harmful to health.

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 Visual comfort
Daylight is essential, so open those curtains! But make sure the sun doesn’t shine in your eyes
and on your screen. Ideally your face should be at right angles to the window rather than facing it.
Adjustable blinds or curtains are ideal. Check whether indoor lighting is sufficient, and that your
workplace is illuminated in a pleasant way – especially important in the dark months. You may
want to consider circadian lighting which adjusts itself during the day to minimise disturbance
to your biological clock.

Thermal comfort
This theme relates to your ability to influence heating and temperature, which will not usually
be an issue in your own home. However, it is worth checking whether any optimisation is
necessary - such as an air conditioner in a hot attic room or additional heater in the cold.
Don’t forget cleaning and maintenance of the air conditioning unit.

Acoustic comfort
An advantage of working from home is that you are not disturbed by the noise of colleagues
moving around and chatting in an open-plan office. However, you may still be able to identify
acoustic improvements - for example if the room sounds hollow, think about wall decorations
made from soft materials such as a painting, tapestry, large cork notice board or fabric curtains.
Hard materials reflect sound, soft materials absorb it. If you are bothered by the noise from
other rooms, walk past the doors - is there a big crack underneath? A draft hose can help
with that. Alternatively, noise-cancelling headphones can also be a solution if you are
bothered by roommates or outside disturbance.

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 Movement
Exercise during the day is more important than ever, now that your commute has largely
disappeared. Walk around the block regularly during lunch. Could you schedule phone
calls with colleagues while you are walking outside? You could also ‘go to work’ on foot
or by bike, before and after work. This creates a better separation between work and
private life. Ergonomics is also important and here the right furniture is indispensable.
If you like to work at a standing desk in the office, explore creative solutions at home -
for example with the help of an ironing board.

Food & Water

Drink enough water. Perhaps put a large bottle of filtered water or a pot of tasty tea on
your desk. Tap water in the Netherlands is of good quality, but beware if your property is
particularly old and unmodernised. If this is the case, it may have the original lead pipes
which are very unhealthy. Healthy eating is just as important at home, so pay attention
to your lunch. Preparing a healthy lunch can be a relaxing activity - preferably an organic
whole grain lunch without added sugars. Try not to eat it at your desk in order to disconnect
from your screen. If you can’t resist the candy jar during work, try to overcome this by having
healthy snacks on hand like fruit and nuts. A bowl of fruit on the desk can make you more
inclined to grab something healthy and offers the benefit of providing a view of nature.

Mind
The layout of your workplace is important. Function is not everything - it should be visually
attractive too. A neat, tidy and pleasant workplace helps with concentration. Try to keep
unnecessary mess and cables out of sight, which has the added benefit of making it easier
to clean. Turn your workplace into a green oasis! Plants in pots are easy to place in any room.
Put them together in a group for maximum effect. Plants also have a positive effect on air
quality. Pictures of nature on the wall are also recommended as research shows that this
has the same effect as looking at real nature.

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 Time to act
No home workplace is the same. One person will have a
separate office, another sits at the kitchen table. It means
that not all these points will apply to every workplace.
Sometimes a little can be changed, sometimes a lot.

Unlike the office, your employer has no control over the

quality of your home workplace, but there are ways in
which they can provide support, such as with ICT facilities
and suitable furniture.

I urge you to take an hour to actively think about these

topics while having a good look at your workplace.
You are likely to be so accustomed to the space that it is
difficult to see what can be improved. If you find yourself
prone to habit-blindness, it can be interesting to take a
photo of your workplace and mirror it digitally. Then
suddenly things stand out that you normally overlook.

Think about what’s good about your workplace? What can

be done better? And then… what are you going to do about it?

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 About the author For more info
please contact
Jet Prevosth, Health & Wellbeing Consultant at Royal HaskoningDHV,
is an advocate for improving health and wellbeing in buildings and Jet Prevosth
communities. She combines her interests in real estate and housing,
workplace concepts and the influence of environmental factors on
wellbeing and productivity to create atmospheres that inspire.

For her, there is no question that environment influences mood.

Environments should be designed as happy places. If they do not
promote happiness, questions arise like: who came up with this?
What were the drivers behind these design choices? Is it not possible
to make the environment a little less stuffy, a little less clinical, a little
more cosy and green?

It might appear to be common sense, but it is still not standard

practice to take what is good for people or the earth as a starting
point. That’s why, instead of convertible square metres that meet
prevailing standards, Jet advocates taking a more people-oriented
approach. As WELL Accredited Professional and Fitwel Ambassador Jet Prevosth
she draws on proven insights which contribute to a healthier,
more productive and happier interaction between environment
Consultant
and professional. Health & Wellbeing
(WELL AP & Fitwel
With the knowledge that people spend as much as 90% of their
Ambassador)
time indoors, she realises impact can be made, resulting in higher
+31 (0) 6 24 31 73 45,
productivity, more commitment and increased workplace happiness.
jet.prevosth@rhdhv.com

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