SOUTH East Wales call centres are being urged into adopt a bit of oriental mysticism for the good of their businesses.

Raymond Catchpole, chairman of the UK Feng Shui Society, recently addressed the South East Wales Contact Centre Employers' Forum.

He said that by taking simple steps, such as changing the office colour scheme, incorporate plants, mirrors and coloured lighting and adjusting the air conditioning, company performance can be boosted in a big way.

He said Feng Shui was much more than a trendy Californian fad.

"Feng Shui, or the art of channelling energy, may be more than 3,000-years-old, but it is still directly relevant to the 21st century working environment.

"Changes in the placement of office furniture, airflow, the use of colour, and the introduction of natural objects fundamentally change the call centre and have been proven to reduce stress and illness, boost performance and increase a feeling of well-being.

"In such a highly competitive sector where the recruitment and retention of staff is a major issue, gaining the advantage by reducing staff turnover and increasing motivation can lead to significant savings."

BUPA figures apparently show that, on average, 270,000 people per day are off work due to stress.

This accounts for more than half of all the 176 million working days estimated by the CBI to be lost to illness each year, at cost to industry of £11.8billion.

The National Britannia Group, which employs 200 people at its Caerphilly call centres, has incorporated a specially designed Feng Shui garden into its building.

Director of administration Mandy Weston, pictured with Ireen Lock in the Feng Shui garden, said: "The principals of staff wellbeing and Feng Shui have influenced the design and layout of our building and our approach to human resources management.

"As the UK's leading safety, health and environmental risk management specialists we believe in practicing what we preach, and the Feng Shui garden is part of our continuing investment in staff occupational health.

"This tactic has paid real dividends, resulting consistently good staff performance and low staff turn-over right across the business."

According to Mr Catchpole, bringing natural elements from outdoors inside, such as rocks, plants, timber and earth, creates a more stable working environment and a better connection with the ground."

He added that: "By altering air flow from air conditioning units just enough so that staff can feel it and hear the odd bits of paper rustle, energy will flow more readily, staff will be more alert and call response times can be kept up.

"The same technique can be used at times of low energy, for instance after lunch, when staff need a boost to help them wake up."

Ireen Lock, chairman of the call centre forum, said there were lessons to be learned from Feng Shui.

She said: "The Welsh call centre sector is now a mature industry and facing up to the threats of a global market.

"By stimulating debate and examining the latest developments in productivity and corporate philosophy we aim to continue to differentiate ourselves from rival regions."