A personal reflection by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd
“This past weekend I was able to catch up with members of my family which, due to Covid & work commitments, I have not seen since June 2020.
It was lovely catching up on family news, but what was most enjoyable, was having a lengthy conversation with my now 18 year old niece about artists, art influences & experiences.
My niece is currently studying art at college & is already considering her university. What struck me the most about our conversation was that I have not spoken in years about my artistic influences & the artists who have & continue to inspire me & it really was not only refreshing & invigorating, but it also reminded me of how the arts have influenced me throughout my life.
This got me thinking about how art & the arts can be such an inspirational way to bring people together. Not only does an interest in the arts or a particular artist create a connection to something personal & inspiring; it can also spark up great dialogue, debate & engagement.
Being able to speak with family, friends or work colleagues about an artistic influence, something which is so very personal; can be a way to break down social barriers & create better engagement & connections.
One place in particular which can gain huge benefits from the arts & an artistic influence, is the workplace.
The traditional workspace/workplace/office has changed dramatically over the past two & a half years. The Covid19 pandemic having seen millions working from home, saw traditional places of work empty & abandoned at the height of the pandemic.
However, with more & more business owners seeking to re-engage & bring employees back into an workplace/office/workspace setting; businesses & organizations now have to find new ways to entice employees back to the office/workspace, boost morale & reignite company ethos & ideas.
Any physical workspace for example an office, workshop or factory, will find employees in the same space for anything up to 8 hours a day. Making these workspaces enticing, engaging & boosting morale is a delicate balancing act.
Gone are the days of vast open plan office spaces teeming with small individual booths, grey & beige the norm & in it’s place, such as at Google offices, you can now find employees sitting in ball pits, hot desking, communal working lying on sofas & being surrounded by personal items. Some may say this is a distraction, but Google stands firm that it creates calm & generates creativity & productivity.
As employers continue to entice employees back to a workspace, it has become more important than ever for businesses to reinvest in their physical workspace & associated environment, in particular encouraging collaborative & social spaces which can maximize employee engagement & boost morale.
Many businesses have already invested in green spaces outdoors & indoors & have seen the emotional & physical benefits these green spaces can have on employee’s morale & productivity.
Another inexpensive way to enhance a physical office/workspace, is by incorporating art into the environment. A Harvard paper published in 2014 having collated data from 19 Australian organisations found that:
“Respondents believed there are five main ways they are impacted by the art in their workplace: the art promotes social interactions, elicits emotional responses, facilitates personal connection-making, generally enhances the workplace environment & fosters learning.
The research noted that participants found the art collections changing nature, creativity, diversity, quality & the connection to the organization’s mission, had a positive impact on employees & affiliates. (1)
With this in mind, how could art perhaps enhance your workspace environment, help boost morale, encourage social interactions & boost creativity & productivity?
One approach could be to engage with a local artist & or arts group to discuss a collection for your workspace based on & connected to the local environment & history. Ensuring diversity, inclusion & inspiration are represented in the workspace is also important.
However, as with all artistic interpretation, not every employee & or affiliate will necessarily connect to or appreciate the artistic choices made for the workspace, but this is the nature of the arts. Art can create connection & division in equal measure, but what it will always do is create dialogue & in an era of digital chat becoming the norm; any kind of verbal interaction with another human can only be a good thing”.
Written by Katy-Jane for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
- http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/art-works-at-work-the-impact-of-workplace-art
