Commercial Integrator January 2022 - 32

HEALTH Wellness Design
Some of the biggest challenges that
leaders foresee in implementing wellness
technology is that it has to work, there
must be a return on investment and there
has to be utilization. " Anybody who's coming
in with something that's for any reason
complex to use or complex to implement
in a building...I think it's just simply not
going to work, and people aren't going to
want to adopt it, " Edelheit says.
An Outstanding Offi ce is the
Best Way to Engage Employees
With workers quitting their jobs in record
numbers, " it's going to be really important
[for employers to] retain employees but
also to attract the best talent out there, "
Kafka observes. " If you don't have a
health and wellness program, and you
don't demonstrate wellness within your
space, you're going to see issues with low
productivity and absenteeism. " She adds,
" You're going to see good employees
leaving or good employees not wanting to
come and work for your company. "
According to Kafka, " Younger generations
are not looking at companies so
much from a monetary standpoint. We
all need an income, but that's not what's
driving whether or not individuals want
to come back or continue to work for
the companies that they were working
for. " She explains, " Now, it's about their
emotional health, getting time off , being
able to have less stress in their lives - the
traditional workplace is gone. "
" Employers have to fi ght for top talent, "
Edelheit says. " What worked in the past
isn't going to work now, and [employers]
must really step up their game. " He
notes that a beautiful building, the best
benefi ts and the best work environments
are not enough. " How do you show as an
employer...that the well-being off ering is
exceptional? " he asks rhetorically.
Potential Ideas for Integrators
Integrators must think with creativity
when it comes to wellness installations.
One recommendation is to help allay
employees' fears about air quality by visually
displaying the indoor or outdoor air
quality on digital displays throughout the
office or via QR codes around the office.
32
'If you don't have a health and wellness
program, and you don't demonstrate wellness
within your space, you're going to see issues
with low productivity and absenteeism.'
- Linda Kafka, founder of LiVABLE Environment Inc.
Integrators should also look into
constructing wellness-minded features
into spaces, thus allowing employees to
take a break, meditate, stretch or walk, as
well as to get a healthy meal, some fresh
air and good sunlight. Together, all those
things can help employees be their most
productive.
" It's going to be really hard for people
at the end of the day to have enough energy
to pursue well-being on their own, "
Walker says. " If all they've done is sit in a
chair for eight hours and think and work,
[they're] not going to feel good. It's really
important that people stand up and walk
around for fi ve minutes to go get a drink
of water, stretch, go meditate, grab some
sunlight, etc.... I think technology could
Commercial Integrator JANUARY 2022
really help in some way and could be really
interesting to see. "
Final Thoughts
There's a new expectation among the
workforce for better management support
of their health and well-being in the
flexible and hybrid spaces of today.
Integrators should use evidence-based
strategies that are authentically delivered
and inclusive, Walker recommends.
" There is a lot that we haven't yet
discovered, " she says, " There's a lot of
opportunity for other industries to look
into what they can do and fi gure out how
they can help move the needle. "
" Everyone wants to be well, " she concludes.
" It's time for a well world. " CI
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Commercial Integrator January 2022

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