Wellness remains a top priority this year. Here are small tweaks to help rejuvenate your team. 

This year may continue the office recovery, but we’re seeing more of the same when it comes to the mental state of today’s workforce: stress, disengagement and burnout prevail. A Gallup poll found that 51% of employees feel daily stress at work and only 21% of employees feel actively engaged in the workplace.

So how can leaders freshen up the workplace for the new year with wellness in mind? Tomorrow by ROOM has written often about how offices are taking cues from the hospitality industry to make spaces feel more welcoming and healing. But here are some quick and easy fixes to revitalize your space without breaking the bank. Sometimes, the most impactful changes are often the simplest.

Small modifications, big impact

Tiny adjustments to lighting can make big impacts on mental health. Collins suggests swapping uniform overhead lighting for layered light. Warm table lamps and dimmers instantly reduce glare and stress.

HOK interior designer Christine Vandover suggests adding an accent-colored task light on each employee’s desk.

“The bright light can improve mood, increase visibility and reduce eye strain, and allows employees to customize their environment to suit their individual needs, and the accent color on the fixture can add some joy and positivity,” she says.

The same goes for windows. An abundant amount of research shows the link between natural daylight and improved mood, increased happiness and decreased risk of long-term depression.

Leaders can amplify this benefit simply by situating chairs and desks near windows.

Even seeing clouds, trees, or the skyline will help ground people during the workday, adds Courtney Murphy, CEO of HR consulting firm Workwell People Solutions. She encourages people to store their phones, too, to prevent unwanted distractions and temptations that threaten efficiency and focus.

An entire wall of greenery or a single plant. 

Biophilic design has moved from being a trend to being a fundamental, integrated part of interiors —driven by wellness and science-backed integration of nature for better human health. But it doesn’t require an office overhaul. 

“Bring something living into the space: a plant, fresh flowers, even a small herb can shift the energy immediately,” says Brittany Riley, founder of coworking company Haven. 
Riley also likes to clear one surface completely and only put back what she truly uses or loves, whether it’s a couple of photos or a handwritten note. “Anything which reminds you why you’re doing your work,” she says, such as photos of your family.

Spruce up furniture and decor

Another way to refresh the workplace? Fix aging furniture and decor to bring in a sense of vibrancy.

For instance, if task chairs are a bit tired, think sustainably, says HOK’s Vandover. Repair and upgrade them rather than replacing them. She suggests replacing any broken lumbar supports, arms or wheels, and reupholster the seat cushions with a new fabric.
 
“Fabric texture, weight and feel can affect thermal regulation, sensory perception and pressure distribution, providing more comfort to employees as well as a fresh look,” she says.

Jessica Collins, HOK’s Dallas director of design, suggests offering at least three ways to sit—especially in collaboration settings. Choice, she says, supports comfort, movement and neuro-inclusion, she says. Think bean bags, cushioned sofas, modular seating pods for a relaxed vibe and standing desks and perching stools to encourage movement.

Leaders can also upgrade collaboration areas simply with new area rugs, accessories, floor lamps, or casual comfortable furniture. “The refresh will attract staff to the areas, encouraging movement and posture change, connect with other team members and provide an alternate place to work,” Vandover says. 

Sound matters.

Another easy fix? Adjust the sound inside an office. It’s no secret that noise can impact how good or bad a person feels at work. Chatter, ringing phones, Zoom calls, and one-sided conversations can make it difficult to concentrate and be productive.  

Add soft surfaces where sound lingers, like rugs, upholstery, and panels to improve focus fast.

Vandover also suggests experimenting with sound scaping. A 2025 study found that nature-based soundscapes can significantly enhance the parasympathetic nervous system by increasing heart rate variability and slowing both heart rate and breathing rhythm. 

Noise is not simply heard. It’s seen. Break up visual noise in the office with calmer palettes. It can reduce cognitive load. 

“Use materials that feel natural and tactile. Wood, textiles and stone ground the senses,” says Collins.

Pausing when you enter.

The way you feel at work starts when you first step foot into the office, and as a result designers are paying close attention to “street-to-seat,” or the employee experience from the parking lot, lobby and moving through the entire building.

Rather than renovating an entire lobby, create a place to pause at arrival.

“A chair, hook or ledge lowers transition stress,” Collins says.

The under-used wellbeing rooms

The need for better mental health and balance has driven so many companies to build out wellness rooms over recent years. But new research by IA Architects found that those spaces often go underused and are even treated as ad hoc storage or extra meeting rooms.  

IA’s whitepaper, Reclaiming the Wellbeing Room, offers suggestions on how to design such rooms for the future—such as incorporating AI, sliding wall panels, acoustic floors to create customized experiences for light, comfort and sound.

Collins offers something simpler. She suggests organizations designate one quiet zone, then clearly naming it. By crafting a more intentional environment, it can profoundly influence the behaviors it’s encouraged. According to IA Architect’s whitepaper, employees often don’t always feel they have permission to use them, or they feel an unspoken expectation of productivity.

“Signage alone can change how a space is used,” she says. 

Of course, so much of how employees feel in a space is largely determined by more intangible things that can’t be fixed by architecture. True wellness is delivered by leaders themselves and corporate culture. Do people at your organization have shared purpose, respect, and autonomy at the office?

How people are treated at work will provide the foundation for wellness. Design will amplify it, and even minor changes can offer big shifts at work and fuel hope, joy and wellbeing.