Not so long ago the concept of doing ‘chair yoga’ at your desk, or joining a walking meeting seemed a little off the wall to say the least. Today, both of those things have become complete normality for many a  workplace. So, as we continue through 2020, we’re lifting the lid on a few of the weird and wonderful trends that are tipped to gather momentum in 2020.

Puppy therapy (as epic as it sounds)

Otherwise known as dog therapy, puppy therapy is a workplace trend we can definitely get behind, especially with office dog Percy.. The act of interacting with and stroking our four-legged friends has been scientifically proven to slow down the heart rate and reduce blood pressure levels.

It’s no surprise then that many offices around the world are now hiring puppy therapy businesses to impart their services on their stressed out, sleep deprived staff.

Now, without  further paws (sorry), we’ll move on to the next one.

Sound baths, for bathing in sound… at work…

Yep, this sounds like a weird one based on title alone. Sound baths are a progressive relaxation technique which involve lying in a room and ‘bathing’ in various different meditative sounds such as chimes, gongs and sound bowls.

So, if lunchtime yoga doesn’t fit around your schedule this week, swap it out for a midday sound bathing session and feel the benefits for your stress levels and concentration.

Anyone for a breathing lesson?

As the saying goes, you learn something new every day but when it comes to the workplace, you generally presume this is going to be a new Excel hack or something. You probably don’t assume you’ll be getting a lesson in one of the things that comes most naturally to you – breathing. But when you’re stressed, or trying to breathe and talk in front of a room full of people, it’s actually horribly easy to get a bit tangled.

Breathing lessons are all the rage right now when it comes to wellness, and many offices are implementing them into their extra-curricular offering. It involves learning how to use the cardiovascular system in a more controlled manner in order to improve physical and cognitive function.

The ‘blended workforce’

Just when you thought we’d reached peak sci-fi, the bots descend. That’s right, it’s finally happening – bots are joining the workforce and us mere mortals will be working alongside them in a new-fangled mash-up of flesh and machinery dubbed ‘digitalisation’.

They’ll be used for everything from streamlining repetitive processes to monitoring employee wellbeing using artificial intelligence. Thankfully, you won’t need to add them to the brew round though.

Do you have any weird and wonderful things going on in your workplace? Is there something we’ve missed off the list? If so, we’d love to hear all about them! Let us know in the comments below or join us over on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

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About The Author

Stephanie Whalley

Serial snacker, compulsive cocktail sipper and full time wordsmith with a penchant for alliteration, all things marketing and pineapple on pizza.

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