Would You Invest in Wellness Technology for the Office?

In this time of COVID scares and remote working, the term “wellness” as it relates to how technology can keep us healthier and happier has never been more important.

Couple this with the fact that workplace burnout appears to be on the rise, and you cans see the potential need for human-centered technology solutions.

But can technology actually contribute to human happiness in the workplace? At a biological level, it actually can.

It may sound like hogwash to some, but it’s true: wellness technology for the workplace exists, and it is a growing category that more and more technology decision makers are beginning to take seriously.

Biology-based lighting?

Something called “human-centered lighting” stresses the idea that humans have evolved to expect warmer lighting temperatures in the morning and evening, and whiter, “bluer” lighting conditions midday, following the “sunrise, sunset” hues we typically see in the sky around those times.

This is probably the most well-known of the wellness technology varieties, and it’s a fairly simple system to consider. While it requires an AV or lighting specialist, there are far more expensive systems an office could consider.

Some offices have started to replace the typical “white noise” sound masking effects with something more akin to nature, such as light ocean noises or very faint jungle sounds. This is referred to as “biophilia” or “biomimicry” and it’s a very serious type of wellness tech for the office that stresses more of a connection to nature while being forced to be in a built environment.

Nobody is saying that simply changing the lighting or playing some monkey sounds is going to solve all the stresses of a modern employee — but paying attention to the built environment and what about it is particularly devoid of engagement or natural flourishes can indeed help keep spirits up and motivations just that much higher.