5 DATA DRIVEN DESIGN: PREPARING FOR THE HYBRID FUTURE OF WORK

Climate At the recent AIA Small Firm Symposium, where the theme was “Embracing Change, Innovating for the Future,” PLASTARC’s Sociospatial Designer Amy Rosen and I presented “Data Driven Design: Preparing for the Hybrid Future of Work.” The purpose of this presentation was to share the results of two and a half years of research with clients and industry peers, including a survey conducted with Global Design Alliance, to demonstrate how PLASTARC can help organizations identify areas for improvement to better support mental health in the workplace through more tangible factors, like creating multisensory environments designed for biophilia – the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings, as well as by instituting wellness programs that consider the mental, physical, and social health of their employees.

The pandemic has revolutionized hybrid and remote work experiences, with teams and leaders alike finding their perspectives on office space and mental health have shifted in this time of unusual stress and change. We have largely experienced a cultural mindset shift around the benefits of remote work and its ability to match or even exceed productivity in the office, with most workers expecting to go into the office less frequently than they did prior to COVID-19. While many people have thrived working from home, enjoying more flexible hours, more free time without a commute, the ability to take walks and get more sunlight during the day; others have struggled with a lack of structure and in-person time with their colleagues.

In the pre-covid era, mental health may not have been seen as the most obvious factor in employee productivity, but it has increasingly become clear that it is one of the most impactful. Chronic job stress affects the brain similar to how a serious knock on the head inflicts a concussion. Its effects are cumulative over time, and eventually, may be catastrophic if left unaddressed. If employees are not mentally well, they cannot respond critically to workplace tasks or issues, and problems that appear isolated may snowball. Corporate culture grows toxic when workers’ needs are not addressed and managers’ goals are not met, and furthermore, employee attraction and retention becomes difficult. How does work make you feel? If the answer is not good, then employees will seek out other employment that does.

Risks to mental health in the workplace can be architectural — is there enough light? What does the workspace look like? Are there adequate health and safety practices? Or they can be organizational — poor communication and management practices, low level of support for employees, inflexible working hours, unclear tasks or objectives. What you see can also bolster or hinder what you don’t, with the tangible aspects affecting the intangible. Are there bigger issues than what quality of light is available in the office? Perhaps, but tackling the material issues can begin the process of enhancing overall mental health. PLASTARC uses tactics like staff surveys, visioning and leader interviews, utilization data, and focus groups and workshops to find an approach to workplace design that works for each client. One fitness brand client went from a traditional work environment, with rows of desks and cubicles, to an activity-based environment filled with natural light, color, and many options for shared settings, by evaluating wellness, comfort, and concentration factors like access to daylight, temperature, and visibility. with challenges and learning in a safe setting. Such efforts build empathy and create opportunities for diverse voices to share their experiences and speak up to create a shared vision between management and staff that can become reality.

Some of these issues can be addressed more easily than others, with training, assessments, new policies, and community, but it is a false impression to believe that there is one solution or program that will solve all of it. A diverse workforce will have diverse needs across generations, race, ability, and other identities. In particular, considering neurodiversity with regards to how we use space, technology, and policies can help make a workplace more inclusive and welcoming to all workers. The issues that the pandemic brought to light can be a call to action to leadership to address these issues before there is a crisis. Each organization must take stock of its individual needs and evaluate them to determine what will be most effective for the company and its employees.

There is also the increasingly relevant idea of “psychological safety” — a shared belief among team members that they feel comfortable about taking interpersonal risks like admitting vulnerabilities and owning their mistakes — directly influences workforce productivity, voluntary turnover and discretionary effort. Workplaces must balance inclusion and community

Concerns about mental health in the workplace become increasingly important when one looks to the future. The emergence of Gen Z (born 1997-2010, with Gen Alpha right behind them) in the workforce means that their mental health concerns must be considered when establishing the environment. Raised through the pandemic, a recession, technological revolution, and with the threat of climate change looming over their future, Gen Z and Gen Alpha have unique mental health crises compared to prior generations. Younger generations suffer from higher rates of loneliness, isolation, and depression, as reported in a recent survey of more than 20,000 UnitedStates-based adults aged 18 or older. They may experience eco-anxiety and “pre-traumatic stress,” with an ambition to create societal change through work, which will contribute to potential burnout. Raised on instant access to information and communication, they demand to be treated as humans first and employees second, and will require support to feel empowered to shape their future.

According to a study by WHO, for every dollar that is spent, there is a return of four dollars in productivity when employees’ mental health is addressed proactively. Mental health is increasingly valuable from a bottom-line perspective, because as cited by The Next Gen Workplace presentation at IFMA’s World Workplace, people costs are ten times the amount of facilities costs, so whether your employees are working from home, hybrid, or in-office, companies literally cannot afford to neglect mental health. In order for this to happen, leadership must be willing to be more open, more vulnerable. This suggestion can be met with a lot of pushback and ignorance of what wellness in the workplace actually means. While many corporations believe they are already addressing mental health with wellness programs, there is much more to be done, from reconsidering the physical environment to be multisensory or be designed holistically, to creating more psychological safety.

Architecture plays a fundamental role in providing access to wellness attributes and amenities, such as grocery stores and healthy food, jobs, transportation to jobs, schools with safe routes, pharmacies and health care facilities, and open space and nature. Our literature review has indicated that the environmental qualities and multisensory aspects of our designs have direct correlations to neurological response, circadian rhythms, and stress management, among others. While the idea of addressing workplace culture can feel overwhelming or threatening, there are many architectural fixes that can start a company on the path to more holistically addressing wellness.

Whether you are in the office or not, it has become clear that where and how you work can have an enormous impact on your mental health. Businesses that prioritize their employee well-being by addressing both physical and emotional components that contribute to greater satisfaction in the work environment will be well-positioned as we continue to adapt to hybrid work and introduce younger generations into the workforce. l

PLASTARC is a social science-based workplace consultancy. By blending qualitative and quantitative research with expertise in design and change leadership, PLASTARC provides clients with unique insights that promote healthier and higher-performing spaces.

Melissa Marsh is Founder and Executive Director of PLASTARC, a social research, workplace innovation, and real estate strategy consultancy. Her work leverages the tools of social science and business strategy to help organizations make more data-driven and people-centric real estate decisions.

Melissa combines quantitative and qualitative social science research with architectural expertise and is dedicated to shifting the metrics associated with workplace from “square feet and inches” to “occupant satisfaction and performance.” This holistic approach enables PLASTARC to recommend evidence-based interventions that make the built environment more people-centric and responsive, promoting both individual wellness and business success.

Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, one of the country’s leading law firms, has built a reputation on counseling clients through complex issues. Whether negotiating a contract, resolving a dispute, or providing guidance to navigate the construction process, Zetlin & De Chiara is recognized as a “go-to firm for construction.”