Break the barriers: Open-bench office seating may reduce stress

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Employees working in open-space offices, with no barriers separating them from their colleagues, (also known as open-bench seating), are said to be more active and experience a lower level of stress, compared to those in private offices and cubicles, according to a published research by Occupational & Environmental Medicine under BMJ Journals. 

Out of the 231 participants surveyed for the study, employees in open bench seating exhibited significantly higher physical activity compared with workers in private offices (31.83%) and cubicles (20.16%). This increase in physical activity in the office was also related to lower physiological stress (9.10% lower) outside the office. This finding is consistent with research showing that the effects of certain office characteristics may carry over to non-office hours.

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"While the relationship between physical activity patterns and built environment design elements is rarely simple and often contains cultural elements, this study suggests that in some cases, design modifications may be employed to overcome the negative health impact features of different types of office workstations," as reported in the study.

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Infographic / BMJ Journals

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