Designing for Wellbeing: How Office Fitouts Can Boost Productivity and Retention

Why Wellbeing Matters in the Workplace

In today’s commercial property and workplace landscape, an office is more than simply four walls, desks, and lighting. For businesses with ambition, wellbeing at work has become a key differentiator. A thoughtfully designed workplace goes beyond aesthetics: it boosts staff health, retains talent, and increases productivity.

At Davidson Projects, through our commercial office fitouts, refurbishments, and base build services, we believe that spaces should serve people first. In an era where employee satisfaction is under scrutiny, workplaces that support wellbeing are investments, not costs.

The Science Behind Workplace Design and Wellbeing

There is growing empirical evidence that features of the built environment directly influence wellbeing, performance, and retention:

Studies of biophilic design (incorporating natural light, plants, and natural materials) show improved job satisfaction, reduced stress, and increased productivity. For example, research integrating biophilic design strategies in the Bell Museum found that satisfaction with physical environment was high, work performance improved, and general health metrics rose.
Another large-scale report (“The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace” by Robertson Cooper) found that reconnecting employees with nature in their workplace environments improves wellness, creativity, and psychological comfort.
Design features like indoor environmental quality (light, air, thermal comfort, acoustic privacy) are found to correlate strongly with perceived work performance and wellbeing. Spaces that enable visual connection to nature, good daylighting, and low noise tend to outperform more basic, enclosed or poorly lit workspaces.

These findings make it clear: when you invest in design that supports wellbeing, you gain measurable returns.

Ergonomics: Designing for Comfort and Health

A key pillar of wellbeing is ergonomics. Poor ergonomic design often leads to fatigue, musculoskeletal stress, and reduced productivity. Some of the ergonomic features that work:

Adjustable workstations, such as the use of sit/stand desks, monitor arms, and flexible layouts, can reduce strain.
Proper chair design and support ensure that workstations are configured to reduce repetitive strain, glare, and awkward postures.
Design layouts that allow for easy movement, space between work areas, clear walkways, and sufficient circulation.

In refurbishments or fitouts, Davidson Projects can plan such ergonomic features from the start, avoiding costly retrofits later. In base builds and fitouts, attention to power, lighting, height clearances and furniture integration ensures that ergonomics is baked in.

Natural Light and Biophilic Design

Letting daylight in, creating a visual and sensory connection with nature, and using natural materials are powerful tools for wellbeing.

The Bell Museum study (previously mentioned) highlighted that natural lighting and material connections to nature were among the biophilic strategies that most improved occupant experience
In “The Global Impact of Biophilic Design”, employees in nature-rich offices reported higher levels of creativity and reduced perceived stress.
Even simple changes, introducing plants, views to greenery, use of wood or stone textures, have been shown to shift mood and satisfaction positively.

Davidson Projects’ refurbishment or fitout services are well placed to implement these, whether through window positioning, skylight inclusion, partition transparency, or interior finishes. These are design elements that deliver returns beyond aesthetics: better health, better morale.

Acoustic Comfort and Noise Management

Noise is often an underestimated factor. Even small but persistent ambient distractions can degrade focus, increase stress, and reduce throughput.

Studies show that workplaces with better acoustic management (pods, sound-absorbing materials, zoning) lead to better focus and less fatigue.
Poor acoustics correlate with complaints about noise, reduced job satisfaction, and sometimes even increased absenteeism.

In commercial base builds and fitouts, Davidson Projects can integrate acoustic treatments from the structural phase: wall and ceiling design, materials choice, and layout planning for quiet vs collaboration zones. It’s more efficient and cost-effective to plan these in stages rather than patching solutions afterwards.

Spaces for Recovery, Connection, and Balance

Wellbeing isn’t just about working hard; it’s about balance. Breakout areas, quiet zones, wellness rooms, and social spaces all contribute.

The Wellness-Centered Workplace Designs case study (Taikoo’s workspace in Shanghai) shows that the inclusion of downtime spaces, meditation rooms, and flexible informal zones had measurable benefits: reduced turnover, lower absenteeism, and higher employee satisfaction.
Open, flexible spaces allow employees to shift between focus and rest, collaboration and solitude; these contribute to decreased burnout and increased retention.

When Davidson Projects undertakes office refurbishments or complete fitouts, the design process can allocate space intentionally for rest, social connection, mental breaks, not just desks and meetings. Even small “third spaces” (lounges, cafés, wellness corners) make a difference.

The Business Case: ROI of Wellbeing-First Fitouts

Designing for wellbeing isn’t just good ethics; it has a return on investment. Some of the most well-documented benefits include:

Lower absenteeism & turnover: Studies suggest that workplaces investing in wellbeing and environmental comfort see reductions in both sick leave and staff turnover.
Higher productivity: Employees in well-designed, comfortable, nature-connected spaces typically report greater focus, satisfaction and output. For example, hybrid and wellness-led design features are increasingly shown to correlate with productivity gains.
Employer brand & recruitment: Offices that visibly invest in people attract talent. Wellbeing features become part of what employees evaluate when choosing employers.
Cost savings over time: Through energy savings (via daylighting, natural ventilation), reduced sick days, less need for remedial works, and better space utilisation. While precise savings vary by region and scale, the case studies consistently show that upfront design investment pays off in 3-5 years (or less) for many businesses.

At Davidson Projects, we guide clients through cost vs benefit trade-offs: how much to invest in daylight or acoustic treatments vs longer-term returns; what reuse or refurbishment strategy works best; where incremental upgrades make sense.

The Importance of Boosting Employee Wellbeing

Workplace design that truly supports wellbeing is no longer optional; it’s essential. When commercial fitouts, refurbishments, and base builds are done with people’s health, productivity, and satisfaction in mind, businesses thrive.

Davidson Projects has built its reputation on delivering spaces that are not only fit for use, but fit for people. Whether you’re planning a full office fitout, a refurbishment of an existing space, or starting fresh with a base build, we would recommend wellbeing-first design as standard, not an afterthought.

Ready to make your workspace a magnet for productivity, talent, and well-being? Contact Davidson Projects to discuss how we can assist you with finding a designer to design an office that benefits your people and your bottom line.