Did you know that inclusion of artwork in offices has the potential to improve employee wellbeing and reduce everyday stress? Independent art retailer BobCat Gallery located in Putney Exchange has partnered with researchers at Roehampton University to highlight the benefits of placing art in the workplace.
The presence of art in the workplace may also positively impact employee productivity, creativity and commitment to their organisation.
- Efficiency in completing a work task, and work satisfaction, has been shown to increase when art (along with plants) is placed in offices.
- Behavioural and affective commitment to one’s organisation, along with organisational identification, has been shown to increase when art (along with plants) is placed in offices
- Over 90% of office designers and managers surveyed felt that art made the workspace more welcoming.
- Additionally, 87.5% of project managers and 43.3% of employees said that art could have an effect on conversations with clients/customers.
BobCat Gallery recently launched low-cost artwork rental for businesses. With funding from Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) South London, gallery owner Catherine Sweet has been able to work with researchers to better understand the real and tangible ways that the presence of artwork in a workplace can benefit employees and, in turn, customers.
Catherine says: “Many businesses are struggling to make their office spaces appealing to teams who have realised over the last few years that their homes are often more comfortable and productive spaces for them. If you want to earn your employee’s commute, and feel the benefit of bringing your teams together in your workspace, you need to understand what makes your space better than remote working. Obviously there’s a wider discussion than which artwork to include – there are many factors in designing a working space that functions for people to do their jobs as well as giving them a space where they can flourish as humans – but selecting artwork that reflects your company’s ethos is an important step and can make more of an impact than most people realise.”
Mick Cooper, Professor at the School of Psychology at Roehampton University, says: “We have worked to review available evidence from over a decade of international studies – experimental studies as well as quantitative and qualitative surveys and interviews – that clearly show that art in a workplace has the potential to improve employee wellbeing as well as making a difference in how teams work together.”
Catherine says: “This review has provided an evidence-based approach for how BobCat Gallery can work with businesses to make sure they get the best out of the artwork they invest in. We are also able to connect businesses with local artists so they can complement the installations with creative workshops and team-building activities too. For a low cost monthly investment, not only will businesses reap the benefit of more engaged, happy and productive teams, they know they will be supporting creative networks aswell.”
If you would like some local unique artwork for your office (or home) visit www.BobCatGallery.co.uk