Deze keer een afstudeerscriptie van Aniek C. Elliot over het design, en de implementatie van ontspanningsruimtes op de werkvloer. Aniek C. Elliot studeerde af bij International Facility Management op dit onderwerp waarbij de voertaal Engels is. Vandaar is de onderstaande samenvatting van haar onderzoek in het Engels geschreven.
Relax you’re at work!
Did you know that taking relaxing breaks will make you more productive? Not only that, taking breaks can boost creativity, one’s ability to deal with stressors and one’s overall health! Still, not any old breakroom will stimulate this. It ought to be a room which is properly researched, tailored to the needs and desires of the people and facilitated. In other words, it ought to be an optimal Relaxation Room. This research report shows how one can aim to advance the health and efficiency of employees through reducing stress by means of a Relaxation Room. Thi
s research was conducted in assignment of NoorderRuimte Research-Centre. Among other topics, the organization conducts practice orientated research about the Healthy Workplace. This research is piloted in the company’s own Living Lab meaning they experiment in their own workplace.
The Questions
As stress is a rising concern, gradually more organizations are offering their employees Relaxation Rooms to combat it. In the near future, NoorderRuimte would like to study the effects of a Relaxation Room in their own Living Lab. Therefore, preliminary research ought to be conducted into how this can be realized. This report gives answer to how a Relaxation Room can be designed for- and integrated into- NoorderRuimtes workplace. It gives insight to how other knowledge-work organizations have designed their Relaxation Rooms, how a room can be designed to stimulate tranquility, what activities can motivate serenity, how the Relaxation Room can be integrated into the workplace and how its impact can be measured. All information is tailored to suit the needs and desired of NoorderRuimtes employees. The research methodology used to complete this report consists of a combination of data collections. The primary research comprises three qualitative, semi-structured interviews with field professionals, 44 qualitative and quantitative questionnaires with NoorderRuimtes employees, and a semistructured focus group session with NoorderRuimtes employees. The secondary research conducted throughout this report consists of literature studies, desk research and otherwise – made up by a seminar and an excursion. The aim of this methodology was to design and realize a Relaxation Room based on scientific research and tailor it to incorporate the desires and needs of the users.
The outcomes
The data collected through primary and secondary research was consistent and corresponded agreeably with one another. This shows, that although this research was specifically directed to NoorderRuimtes employees, its basics can be applied to other knowledge-work organizations as well. The results of the research have visually be analyzed, concluded and formed into a fitting advice. The final advice is a design of the optimal Relaxation Room, shown and explained in a floorplan, and a change plan which step-wise demonstrated how the Relaxation Room can be integrated into NoorderRuimtes workplace and how its impact can be measured once implemented. The outcomes of the study will be shared among NoorderRuimtes stakeholders. They can then choose to follow up on this research and act upon the findings to optimize their services
