A few weeks ago, I started looking into healthy offices and their influences on worker productivity and happiness, partially inspired by the healthy office culture that we have cultivated here at DailyBurn HQ. I asked our community if they have healthy offices and how they like them, and I had hundreds of people sending me stories and photos.

During my research, I came across this blog post written by David Teten, partner at ff Venture Capital, a venture fund located here in New York. ff Venture Capital is giving their office a makeover – a health makeover. Their commitment to cultivating a healthy office culture was great, and I just had to see for myself how they were putting their philosophy into action.

Partner John Frankel gave me a tour of the office, located at 989 6th Avenue. Frankel pointed out the numerous standing desks that adjusted up and down for the optimum comfortable height, as well as numerous stability balls around the office for folks who choose to sit down. There is a zen-like serenity in the large open community area, with glass walled meeting spaces off the large area that John pointed out are meant for writing on with special markers. Plants and windows encouraging the natural light to shine through add to the overall sense of wellbeing.

ff Venture Capital is part of growing trend in office design. According to a study quoted in the Good Magazine piece, “Healthy Offices Make Healthy Employees”:

(Healthy offices) contributed to reductions in perceived absenteeism and work hours affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression, and stress and to self-reported improvements in productivity. These preliminary findings indicate that green buildings may positively affect public health.

Frankel noted that all of this was done to create a greater culture of wellness. He even pointed out their new eco friendly printer, which uses wax based ink rather than ink that releases micro-particles in the air that potentially aggravate allergies.

“We aim to set the tone for the office. We want to communicate that we care about your health here.”

Frankel’s partner at the fund, David Teten, agrees that setting the tone is key. Teten outlines the basic principles of the new office design on his blog:

First, here are our core operating principles:
• Healthy alternatives should be truly viable alternatives, not luxury products. Almost all of our ideas cost the same or less than setting up a conventional office.
• Motion is better than no motion; stasis kills. (I would call that a life principle, not just a fitness principle.)
• Standing is healthier than sitting. Excess sitting can even shorten your life.
• Standing on a flat surface is healthier than standing on a distorted surface. Up to a third of women suffer permanent problems as a result of their prolonged wearing of heels, ranging from hammer toes and bunions to irreversible damage to leg tendons. Similarly, women and men who wear shoes with even low heels also suffer adverse effects. We want to make an office receptive to women and men wearing whatever shoes they like, including but not limited to comfortable shoes without heels, also known as “minimal shoes”.

A few of ff Venture Capital portfolio companies share the office as well. I was introduced to Sachin Kamdar, the co-founder and CEO of parse.ly. Sachin works at a standing desk, and has been working that way for close to a month.

“I definitely sleep better now, and I feel great. I think it has to do with my desk.”

When asked if they would consider adding treadmill desks, Frankel noted that the noise generated would take away from the office atmosphere.

“This is the kind of place where you can wear your Vibram Five Finger shoes, and no one will look at you strangely.”

Thanks for John Frankel and David Teten for the gracious tour. Learn more about ff Venture Capital and their portfolio companies on their website. See more photos of their office here.