The Importance of Office Spaces for Mental Health

Office Spaces vs Working From Home

As we enter a new age of working, we must be aware of the changes that come with it. We can do any desk job from home rather than commuting to office spaces every day. This has obvious benefits. Some of these include more free time for yourself or to spend with your family, saving money on transport and babysitters and overall reduced risk of burnout. While these are all great reasons for your company to encourage working from home, the downsides must be considered too. Everyone is different and has different needs in a working environment therefore one answer will not suit every person; that’s why there are so many options for remote working, coworking spaces and company office spaces now. 

Whether it’s for hybrid working or full-time, we believe that office spaces still have a high demand in our community. In the blog post, we will discuss the importance of office space and the benefits it can provide to your employees. 

What Makes a Room an Office Space?

Having the right environment for any endeavour is vital if you want to be successful. This can start with something as simple as your company’s office spaces. Many people have created home office spaces to work remotely. For some, this can be an inspiring working environment that stimulates ideas and motivation. However, a lot of people working from home do not have the space or luxury to create such a room. 

When you have a dedicated space, it is easy to switch on in the morning and be prepared for your working day. Not being prepared or having a clear space can cause work-based dread, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed because of a disorganised workspace. This can make you procrastinate and let tasks build up causing a backlog of work and tasks left incomplete. Things like waking up that bit earlier, a morning routine, and preparing a task list the night before can help to remove these issues. 

Office space essentials

Desk – having a designated office desk is the most important part of creating a good working environment. If you do not have space in your home to have a clear table for your work, it would be beneficial to use a co-working space. 

Comfortable Chair – If you are sitting down for long periods of time, it is important to have a comfortable chair that will not strain your back throughout the day. 

Plugs close to the desk – You will need plug sockets for any electronics you have for your office work. Having sockets ready and available/dedicated to your office work makes things easy and carefree.

Laptop/Computer – The most important thing about remote working is ensuring you have your equipment set up and ready for use each morning without delay. 

Decompress Time from your Office Life to Home Life

When you have your office essentials in your home or co-working office, you will feel more prepared in the morning. However, there is then the issue of switching off in the evening. One of the issues that face us in a work-from-home environment is that you never leave the “office”. It can be difficult to switch off that work part of your brain and simply relax. We believe that the commute home from work, however long or short it may be, helps with making that switch. 

Why The Glasshouse Should Be Your Preferred Company for your Office Spaces

Different Locations For Different Employees

The issue that a lot of people face with commuting daily to their office space can be the huge amount of time that is lost. That could be on the bus or train, walking or cycling a long distance, or sitting in traffic. Which can lead to you feeling like you could have been doing other things. You could have met a friend for dinner, walked your dog or made dinner already by the time you get home. This is where The Glasshouses and our multiple locations try to help.

Because of our various locations throughout the greater Dublin area, you can have multiple offices. We recommend that instead of having one location where all of your employees convene every day, coming from different locations, you can give your employees the option to work full-time or hybrid in the closest Glasshouse to them. This means that the majority of your employees may have a pleasant, decompressing, short commute to work.

The 15-Minute Commute

Many of our locations have a 15-minute commute to surrounding areas. To help you decide which Glasshouse would suit you best, we have listed each location with its closest surrounding areas. These areas are generally a 15-minute or less commute from our nearest office.

The Glasshouses Office Spaces Sandyford 

• Goatstown, Stillorgan, Mount Merrion, Carrickmines, Deansgrange, Foxrock, Leopardstown, Stepaside, Dundrum, Bellarmine, Ballinteer, Cabinteely, Nutgrove Avenue, Clonskeagh, Booterstown, Willbrook, Blackrock and Monkstown.

The Glasshouses Office Spaces Dun Laoghaire 

• Dalkey, Sallynoggin, Sandycove, Glenageary, Monkstown, Killiney, Loughlinstown, Cabinteely, Shankill, Cornelscourt and Foxrock.

The Glasshouses Office Spaces Blackrock 

• Blackrock, Booterstown, Monkstown, Merrion, Dún Laoghaire, Deansgrange, Goatstown, Sandyford, Sallynoggin and Cabinteely.

The Glasshouses Office Spaces Dublin Airport

• Clarehall, Darndale, Donaghmede, Coolock, Raheny, Limekilns, Artane, Santry, Kinsealy, Portmarnock, Dublin Airport, Ballymun, Poppintree, Finglas, Killester, Edenmore, Balgriffin, Clongriffin, Ballymacartle and Beaumont.

Serviced Office Spaces

Serviced office spaces are extremely beneficial financially and create a constantly pleasant work environment. Serviced means that all of our offices are fully furnished, regularly cleaned and have fully stocked kitchenettes.

Professional Environment

Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who wish to strive in their chosen profession is inspiring. People are easily influenced by their surroundings. With that in mind, if you are working from home non-stop and not creating a professional environment for yourself, you may start to feel like you’re losing momentum and creativity. This can be caused by the looming feeling of isolation and lack of in-person communication with your peers.

Concentrating in Office Spaces is Easier

As we covered already, good office space is key to starting work on time and being able to have a productive day. But, how do you maintain that level of concentration? A coworking space could be the answer as you feel held accountable for the work you put in by others around you. This works even if the people close by are not from your company. 

However, when you’re working from home, there can be a million different distractions. These can range from household chores that you know need to be done to a DIY project that you are itching to finish. Whatever the distraction, it’s still a distraction. When you are in a working environment that has been serviced and designed for your exact needs, you don’t have these distractions. 

The Social Aspect of Coworking Office Spaces

When you work from home, you can get into a state of isolation quite easily. This can happen even when you live with people. This is because you miss out on the once insignificant tiny interactions that you used to have with your coworkers, barista, bus driver and strangers on the street. Human interaction is vital to our mental health. There have been multiple studies conducted to show that you can combat depression and reduce stress through a healthy amount of social interaction. It can even make your brain work better, through intellectual stimulation and diving out of the comfort cave that you have formed over lockdown. Socialisation keeps your brain active. 

That is not to say that you cannot have a healthy social life while working from home. However, for people who work long hours and put a lot into their jobs, online communication may be all they receive. Another example of this is parents whose social lives now revolve around their children. While this is a fulfilling and beautiful thing, it can be a nice break from parenthood to come into the office and have non-child-related chit-chat with your co-workers. 

Why The Glasshouses for Your Office Space?

All of our offices are beautiful purpose-built rooms of all sizes, with comfortable chairs, desks and locks on the doors to keep your equipment safe. We range from hot desks to meeting rooms and welcome people long-term or short-term. 

There are a lot of choices when it comes to office spaces. It is important that you make the right decision based on research and your own needs. If you’re looking for somewhere close to your home where you can meet like-minded individuals, we suggest The Glasshouses for your full-time or hybrid workspace. 

You can book a tour in any of our Glasshouses locations. This will give you a feel of the buildings, to make sure it suits your needs before you make a decision.