Creating well-being in the office: The importance of psychological well-being and effective collaboration

Productivity and good collaboration in the workplace depend to a large extent on the well-being and psychological well-being of employees in the office, all of which are becoming increasingly important in the workplace. At the Officeguru office, we put a lot of emphasis on this ourselves, but we're not the only ones putting these topics on the agenda.

We visited Watts and had an inspiring chat with Camilla Stylsvig Priesum about the company's approach to wellbeing and how collaboration and positive energy are alive and well in their workplace.

Safety and open dialog

At Watts, dialog is in order and employees can feel safe to express their thoughts and feelings. A culture of openness has been established where there is an understanding that life is notjust about work and that it is therefore important that there is room to balance personal life too. This has led to a more supportive and cohesive team.

"There's a lot of focus on family and personal life because if that doesn't work, how can you function at work?"

At Watts, they continue to work on strengthening the company culture through several initiatives, and the same is true for us. An upcoming workshop focusing on psychological safety for both employees and managers is one example of these initiatives.

It is also extremely important for us to contribute to an environment where open dialog and support is the norm. This is essential to building a cohesive and productive team where employees feel valued and seen.

"My boss listens and understands if I come and tell him I have a problem instead of seeing it as a burden"

Office design as a tool

Watts has also invested time and resources in improving the physical space and work environment. These include acoustic improvements to reduce noise levels, the introduction of flexible workspaces and cozy common areas. These changes have not only created a more comfortable working environment, but have also increased productivity by allowing employees to work in the way that best suits their individual preferences.

Like Watts, we at Officeguru have also invested in the interior design of the office space to create a more comfortable working environment. Not only do we have soundproof meeting booths so that everyone can make calls undisturbed, we've also designed the office in a way that promotes collaboration and productivity, but also provides space to sit and focus on your own. In addition, we've also introduced more low-tech initiatives such as a self-serve fridge with cold drinks for the workday, as well as a variety of snacks in the office.

Introducing new initiatives creates different needs - and everyone's needs need to be talked about openly

Camilla came to Watts from another company in the Andel family, Clever. Although Clever still has a startup spirit, there is no doubt that it is a larger and more established company, which was reflected in the offerings in the office, for example, Watts did not have snacks for employees.

Camilla changed this and placed snacks on a table in the middle of the open office environment.

The introduction of snacks was warmly welcomed, but created a challenge, namely "noise" from the small talk around the table where the snacks were placed.

The open dialog in the office led to feedback about the noise, which led to the need to formulate an official 'Code of Conduct'. But without any finger-pointing or false harmony.

"If you need to talk to someone in the office, you walk up to them or to your colleagues instead of sitting and shouting from the other side of the room."

The new Code of Conduct serves as a set of rules of 'good manners' for colleagues, and everyone supports its purpose - to promote a calmer, more pleasant and productive work environment. They also chose to move snacks to the kitchen area to preserve the need for small talk.

Summary: Continuous focus on well-being

There is no doubt that well-being in the office is crucial for productivity and collaboration, and at Officeguru we share Watt's vision to continuously strengthen the company culture and increase focus on well-being.