CATEGORY UPDATE
Special Issue HEALTH & WELL-BEING
The wellness
FACTOR
Special Issue
VENDOR SPECIAL
Opportunities abound in the health and well-being category as companies are trying to woo their staff back to the office – by Michelle Sturman
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www.opi.net
he workplace wellness category was growing at a reasonable pace of around 5% pre-COVID, according to research and education resource, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). Growth fell by 7% when the pandemic entered the picture but, as offices are now finally beginning to welcome back staff, GWI projects an annual rise of 3.8% to reach $58.4 billion in 2025. Digging deeper into December 2021 data from The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond COVID report, GWI reveals that much of the spend on workplace wellness is motivated by business owners’ desires to lower healthcare costs; improve morale, retention and recruitment; and increase productivity and competitiveness. The research firm believes that companies are realising a “compartmentalised, programmatic approach is not particularly effective”. The report says: “The sudden and dramatic shift to remote work has also challenged long-held assumptions about what wellness means in the work context. Some employers are beginning to adopt a more holistic approach that encompasses company culture, hierarchy, leadership style, workflow, built environment, etc.”
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BE SENSITIVE As the emphasis shifts towards a return to the office, Darren Hilliker, Architecture and Design Manager of UK-based workplace connectivity and ergonomic solutions vendor CMD, warns: “Employers will need to be sensitive to everything people have been through over the past two
years and the lasting effects the experience may have on their well-being.” Durable Managing Director Rolf Schifferens believes the coronavirus crisis has most certainly changed how health and well-being is perceived. “The focus in recent months has been on hygiene, along with social distancing, technology for hybrid working and meaningful signage,” he says. Research undertaken as part of the Gensler US Workplace Survey Winter 2021 substantiates this view. Respondents stated they would be more comfortable going back to the office if the following were implemented: indoor air filtration systems (80%), enhanced cleaning protocols (76%), access to more private spaces (74%), operable windows (65%), vaccine requirements (65%) and outdoor workspaces (61%). Speaking to OPI, a Fellowes Brands spokesperson confirms: “Prior to the pandemic, it was rare to see HEPA grade filtration outside of specific healthcare settings. Now we are observing widespread adoption of air purifiers in shared areas. Additionally, cleaning and disinfection activities were often ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but efforts are currently being made to reassure staff and the public they are in a safe space. “According to a study published by the Cleaning Coalition of America, 66% of US employees want better hygiene and jan/san practices before returning to work. People have always assumed that their offices and the air they breathe within them are clean, but today they want confirmation and are explicitly asking what is being done.”
