How to Help Employees Return to Work: Art
Turns out, some people don’t want to come back to work. Employees have settled into their sweatpants and home office routine, many of them with no intention of coming back to a physical office.
But in-person work drives collaboration and innovation, so many CEOs are looking for ways to persuade their workers that coming back isn’t so bad. One solution? Transform physical office spaces by adding meaningful artwork.
Meaningful art positively impacts both workers and the corporate environment. In this blog, we’ll explore art’s ability to increase productivity and well-being in the individual worker as well as develop and enhance identity and community in a corporation as a whole. We’ll then look at concrete ways that organizations can incorporate meaningful art into their workspaces.
Art Makes Employees Happier and More Productive
Art benefits the mind and productivity of the individual employee.
But do workers really care about art? And does it really help them? A University of Bridgeport survey reveals that 82% of workers say artwork is important to their workplace, 78% believe it reduces stress, and 64% think it increases creativity.
A Harvard University study also finds that art promotes social interactions, facilitates personal connection-making, and fosters learning.
Employees will feel the difference upon returning to in-person work if that in-person workplace is filled with meaningful art and design.
Art Enhances Corporate Community and Goals
Of course, when workers are happier and more productive, the entire company is, too. But the positive influence of art at work reaches even further.
For example, art can connect to an organization’s mission, defining and adapting to the community of a workplace. More and more professionals argue that it’s “absolutely critical” that art express the mission, brand, and vision of a company.
Companies specializing in fields ranging from finance to technology to energy pursue art that connects to the mission of their organizations. In fact, The German Deutsche Bank has over 60,000 art works in 900 offices in 40 countries.
How to Implement Art in Your Workspace
You may be saying to yourself, “This sounds great, but I’m no designer. I’m no art curator or specialist. How can I do this in my workspace?” If companies have the resources to do so, they can work with local curators for custom pieces.
Art Curation
Local curators like CB Creative Agency can decorate spaces with meaningful pieces that align with an organization’s mission.
Over the past two years, CB Creative has been working with real estate firm EQ Office to help them achieve their vision of “Building as Gallery.” We worked together to chose 16 campus locations where we believed “art moments” should happen, and then worked with a variety of artists who made custom murals, paintings, and more.
The above slideshow features behind-the-scenes and finished shots of our creators and their art. Each mural, wall, and framed piece is unique—after wandering around the CANVAS campus, we know that every employee can discover new artwork that fits their taste and serves as a catalyst for new ideas and innovation.
Brendan McCracken, a Director for EQ Office, stated, “We see this project as a blank canvas for companies to come and paint their own culture for employees.”
A few months ago, CANVAS wrote an article, “The Building as Gallery: How Meaningful Art Curation Supports Community,” which dives into the significance of some of these murals and their choice to involve us in their workplace design journey.
Takeaways
Meaningful art helps both employees and the corporate atmosphere. Work-from-homers may think again if their company installs innovative art in the physical workspace.
CB Creative Agency specializes in art consulting, interior design, and custom fabrications. We’d love to come help translate your distinct needs and intentions into reality! Contact us to learn more about how we can help you and your space.
