\nAn ecosystem of interrelated zones and settings that provide users with a range of spaces that support their various modes of work.<\/p>\n
Palette of Posture<\/strong> Palette of Presence<\/strong> Combined in workplace design, these principles lay the groundwork for addressing the six key dimensions of worker wellbeing identified by Steelcase researchers.<\/p>\n Optimism is more than just expecting positive outcomes in various domains of life. It is about being on a quest for discovery, eager to try new approaches versus being overly risk adverse. It means interpreting and remembering events in a positive light, as well as creating enjoyment in the present and seeing possibilities for the future.<\/p>\n Researchers at the University of California recently found that part of our optimism, self-esteem and sense of mastery (the ability to affect a positive change in life) is genetic. But, they also noted that genes are not destiny and that activities, relationships and environment can have almost as much impact in the equation. Emotions can play a significant role in our tendencies toward optimism. Fear breeds pessimism.<\/p>\n Optimism is critical to the type of work that organizations need today: creativity and innovation. It influences a wide range of behaviors such as seeing the big picture, exploring ideas, being open to others, taking more risks and facing difficult tasks. It also makes people open to change. Understood in this way, optimism has important implications for an organization\u2019s agility and resiliency. Because of this, optimistic employees tend be more productive employees in today\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n \u201cOptimism may be the most important job skill in the 21st century,\u201d notes de Benoist. \u201cOrganizations are faced with so much volatility and stress that the people who can rise above fears and anxiety are the ones who can help build a culture that is better able to thrive in our world.\u201d<\/p>\n Cultivating optimism in the workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n Empowering workplaces support continuous experimentation and show the legacy of the brand and organization in positive ways to reinforce progress and possibility. \u201cWorkers need to feel a sense of individual influence and control over their environment, versus feeling quashed by standardization and rigidity,\u201d advises de Benoist.<\/p>\n Design Considerations:<\/p>\n For application ideas designed to support physical, cognitive and emotional wellbeing in the workplace see the Wellbeing Thoughtstarters.<\/p>\n Mindfulness means balancing the intense pace of life with being fully present in the moment. Today technology presents many opportunities for multitasking, which allows people to be physically present in a meeting, for example, but mentally lost in email.<\/p>\n The focus on mindfulness in business has grown exponentially as organizations recognize that rapid changes in technology, the marketplace and the global playing field have caused volatility, uncertainty, chaos and ambiguity. These realities create stressful conditions for people in organizations and call for a new style of leadership.<\/p>\n Mihaly Czsikzsentmihalyi, noted psychologist and author of the seminal book \u201cFlow,\u201d relates the notion of flow with his study of happiness and creativity. It\u2019s the antithesis to multitasking and a direct result of mindfulness\u2014i.e., being fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and enjoyment in what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n \u201cMindfulness is a fusion of the mind and body when you lose the notion of time,\u201d says de Benoist. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not just something you can achieve alone. People can work together in mindfulness, too, performing like a jazz group, all mindful in the moment of now.\u201d<\/p>\n Cultivating mindfulness in the workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWorkers need physical spaces that help them manage the cognitive overload of their daily lives and be fully present in the moment,\u201d notes de Benoist.<\/p>\n Design Considerations:<\/p>\n In workplaces of the past as popularized by Dilbertville and \u201cMad Men,\u201d allowing yourself to be vulnerable or show emotion at work was considered unacceptable. With \u201cfight or flight\u201d emotions in high gear, many workers are still accustomed to defending themselves by keeping up a pretense of perfection and expected behaviors, which leads to frustration, resentment and unhealthy behaviors.<\/p>\n Wellbeing, in contrast, is cultivated by personal expressiveness \u2014 the freedom to be who you are, at work as well as away from work.<\/p>\n Gallup poll data from more than a decade of surveying people has revealed that the most important factor in wellbeing on the job is to have a best friend at work. Relationships anchor people\u2019s commitment to the larger organization. Having close friends and positive interactions can\u2019t happen without trust, which requires authenticity. \u201cEven in Eastern cultures with their legacy of collectiveness versus individualism, the authenticity of self and being able to express that at work is become more important to wellbeing,\u201d says Arantes.<\/p>\n Cultivating authenticity in the workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWorkers need spaces where they can feel a part of the organization\u2019s culture, while feeling encouraged to express their own ideas and values,\u201d notes Arantes. \u201cLeaders set standards and a tone of authenticity, while customizable work environments and social settings can reinforce the message.\u201d<\/p>\n Design Considerations:<\/p>\n A meaningful life means feeling connected to other people. Social connections at work are sustaining, and feeling useful to others is a powerful way to generate positive emotions.<\/p>\n Psychologist Abraham Maslow positioned belonging at the third level of his famous hierarchy of universal human needs, preempted only by basic physiological needs (food, water, sleep, etc.) and safety\/security needs. Numerous studies and experiments have led to the belief that humans are genetically wired to need one another, and Gallup data provides empirical evidence that having close friends and positive interactions at work significantly increases engagement with the organization.<\/p>\n Relationships anchor people\u2019s commitment to an organization, its brand and its purpose. Without meaningful connections to people, organizations can seem anonymous. Because of this, mobility, alternative work strategies and telepresence across geographies must be intentionally crafted so that employees don\u2019t lose their sense of belonging.<\/p>\n \u201cMobility can be positive because you\u2019re giving people flexibility, and videoconferencing is fast becoming a fact of everyday work, especially for global teams. But it\u2019s important to ensure that people have meaningful connections to others and understand that, wherever they are, they are valued in the organization. Employees need to know they are integral participants in something larger than themselves and others in the organization care about them, \u201d says Arantes.<\/p>\n Cultivating belonging in the workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAs work becomes increasingly mobile and global, creating a sense of belonging is a bigger challenge than ever, but certainly not less important,\u201d says Arantes. \u201cLeading organizations make sure their workplaces provide reasons for people to choose to work there by making it easy to collaborate with co-workers and connect to technologies. They put effort into creating an equal sense of community and belonging for mobile and distributed employees, as well as those physically present.\u201d<\/p>\n Design Considerations:<\/p>\n People need to use their strengths, understand their impact and see how they contribute to organizational goals. Edward Diener, nicknamed \u201cDr. Happiness\u201d and a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization, distinguished that the so-called \u201ccalling orientation,\u201d in which people are passionate about what they do, is intrinsically the most rewarding.<\/p>\n A sense of purpose helps build a resilient enterprise based on trust and collaboration. It infuses \u201cyes power\u201d throughout an organization, says de Benoist.<\/p>\n \u201cBeliefs are the rituals of the everyday that a community shares,\u201d he notes. \u201cIn the best cases, a person\u2019s sense of meaning in life and the purpose of the company are compatible and augment each other. When people around us believe the same things as we do and work toward similar things in the same space, it creates a sense of harmony in context.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrand isn\u2019t just for the client,\u201d says Arantes. \u201cThe brand is also for the people inside the company to have a meaningful understanding of what the brand stands for and be mindful of it in their everyday work.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout shared understanding of what you want to accomplish, it\u2019s hard to get people aligned on what their goals are and how to get there. People need meaning in order to know that their work is not going to waste. It\u2019s possible for even a large body of people to move quickly if they\u2019re aligned on the same goal and meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n Cultivating meaning in the workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHow we spend our time, doing the right things in the right way, can powerfully impact wellbeing,\u201d says de Benoist. \u201cSpaces that are intentionally designed to help people accomplish meaningful goals can make a tremendous difference in individual performance and overall organizational results.\u201d<\/p>\n Design Considerations:<\/p>\n Scientists continue to make breakthrough discoveries about how the mind and body function as an interrelated system. Brain chemistry expert Dr. Candace Pert, a neuroscientist at the U.S. National Institute of Health, wrote in her 1997 book, \u201cMolecules of Emotion,\u201d that receptors and peptides run every system in the human body, creating what she termed a \u201cbodymind\u2019s intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n Continuing to explore the science of vitality, recent medical studies published in respected journals such as the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and mass media such as The New York Times, have raised awareness of the negative effects of prolonged sitting. Dr. James A. Levine of the Mayo Clinic, a leading researcher in the field of inactivity studies, has noted an explosion of research in this area \u201cbecause the health care cost implications are so enormous.\u201d<\/p>\n The risks are mental as well as physical, since muscle inactivity produces a series of harmful metabolic effects including a slowdown of the flow of nutrients to the brain, affecting alertness.<\/p>\n Clearly, engaging the body in movement is essential for supporting physical and mental vigor at work. Movement is the body language of ideas,\u201d says de Benoist. \u201cTaking different postures stimulates the mind, and healthy environments encourage people to move, eat well and exercise as healthy practices.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, sensory experiences in work environments are important, too. Using our senses and nervous system, we interact constantly within the context of spatial environments, processing touch, light and sound and other stimuli that influence mental and physical states. Because stimuli have direct and often immediately perceptible positive or negative consequences, as humans we naturally want choice and control of our environments, seeking out the places that \u201cfeel good\u201d to us.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get to the workplace, you need the tools and environments that are going to support you, whether it\u2019s to work alone or have a collaborative session or eat a meal in a pleasant place or go outdoors,\u201d says Arantes. \u201cProviding a palette of place that supports frequent movement is fundamental for sustaining vitality.\u201d<\/p>\n Cultivating vitality in the workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n How we experience a place affects our actions. Investments in the workplace can completely change employees\u2019 attitudes and behaviors, creating a new spatial vibe that boosts people\u2019s motivation and performance within a relatively short time.<\/p>\n Design Considerations:<\/p>\n IBM\u2019s CEO Study notes that the move toward a more collaborative, communicative, creative, flexible, and ultimately more innovative organization is not something they are delegating to HR. They see the challenge as so critical to their business performance that they plan to engage the entire C-suite and personally lead this shift.<\/p>\n To impact this goal, leaders at all levels of the organization will gain greater traction if they incorporate a focus on wellbeing into their strategy. Employers make a significant investment in people and expect a positive ROI over time. For those who understand that their employees\u2019 wellbeing is imperative for bottom line success, the potential return is high. Conversely, it\u2019s shortsighted and risky to shortchange people\u2019s potential with inadequate, unsupportive or uninspiring work environments that undermine their wellbeing.<\/p>\n \u201cBusinesses understand that they need people more than ever to get innovative work out the door. It\u2019s really about getting people to blossom,\u201d says Arantes. \u201cIn the past leaders may not have recognized the impact employee wellbeing could make. That\u2019s changing, there\u2019s a different mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n Wellbeing is a competitive advantage in today\u2019s business world. To achieve it, workers need mental and physical health, nurtured by a supportive environment that gives them the emotional capacity to interpret and experience events in a way that leads to productive, positive actions. The best places help people engage deeply in what they do by giving them what they need for wellbeing at work.<\/p>\n The results can be self-perpetuating: a systemic sense of wellbeing that easily becomes positively contagious, amplifying the performance of individuals, teams and the entire enterprise.<\/p>\n
\nA range of solutions that encourage people to sit, stand and move while supporting the multiple technologies they use.<\/p>\n
\nA range of mixed-presence experiences (physical and virtual) in workplace destinations designed to augment human interaction.<\/p>\n\n
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1. Optimism \u2013\u00a0FOSTERING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION<\/h3>\n
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2. Mindfulness \u2013\u00a0FULLY ENGAGED<\/h3>\n
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3. Authenticity \u2013\u00a0REALLY YOURSELF<\/h3>\n
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4. Belonging \u2013\u00a0CONNECTED TO OTHERS<\/h3>\n
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5. Meaning \u2013\u00a0A SENSE OF PURPOSE<\/h3>\n
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6. Vitality \u2013\u00a0GET UP AND GO<\/h3>\n
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\nAmplifying people\u2019s performance<\/h3>\n