Work Place Health
Work Place Health
Work Place Health
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Indulge me while we contemplate the various designs I’ve seen over the years of
my career and whether any of them had a thread that connected whether I was
engaged and/or productive at work:
Imagine a very large building — about 120,000 square feet — with aisles to take
you from department to department. The only walls that exist were partitions at
the intersections of those aisles. Within those quadrants are rows and rows of
desks — no cubicles whatsoever.
The idea of “quiet” was absurd. However, this organization did have a “quiet
hour” at the beginning of every workday. Phone usage wasn’t allowed, nor was
work between other co-workers. Back then, we were to use this hour of
productivity to the highest level before we became distracted by various
interactions with co-workers or customers all pulling at our concentration during
the day. Needless to say, this set-up did not achieve the productivity and
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engagement it had intended.
Spend wisely
Since then, there have been a variety of office configurations. Some were a
modified version of what was described above but with the well-known cubicle
farm meant to muffle some of the noises. In many instances, employees were not
fond of this configuration due to the lack of privacy and noise interruptions.
Productivity can be an issue in this environment if measures are not taken to
address employees concerns.
Consider everything
There are a lot of designs out there, but the right one for your organization should
not be contrived based on what your competitor is doing or by the latest fads. It
should be a thought-out design with multiple inputs from a variety of departments
and employees within the organization. What type of environment are you trying
to create and how best will your employees perform? Is your focus on innovation,
inspiration and collaboration or is it designing a space for introspection and
concentration? Technology, flexibility in space, privacy concerns, communal
space, functionality and a place to socialize are all components that should be
addressed. Are workers dispersed globally or centralized, and what are the
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demographics of your workforce? Do you have to consider multi-generations that
are used to working in a variety of ways? What constraints will you be working
with and what input does your senior leadership have in this design? What is the
culture of your organization, and will that be reflected in the design?
Whatever the answers are, your project must be thought out because without
everyone’s consideration, it might fall flat. For the money outlay these projects
typically involve, organizations may be living with this design for 10 years or
longer. By investing in the research to answer these questions prior to a redesign,
companies can avoid creating the memories that I have from 40 years ago — a
dreary line of desks with our enforced “productive” time.
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Millennials are a generation that has grown up with the world literally at its
fingertips; one that believes its potential knows no boundaries. To put such
mindsets into small, colorless cubicles is akin to asking them to send out their
résumés and look for the rich experiences they crave elsewhere.
The millennial employee has been accused in the press and in viral TedTalk
videos of being overly demanding with regard to workplace expectations, but
shouldn’t employees of every age expect their health, well-being and general
happiness to be forefront in their employers’ minds? Is that actually too much to
ask? What’s good for the millennial can be good for all.
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New norm
The growing norm is agile workplaces that morph to the demands and desires of
individual employees while also supporting healthy lifestyles. The modern office
encourages movement and creativity via unassigned seating and varying types of
work areas — private offices for when you need quiet, communal tables for when
you need to collaborate and sit-stand desks that are beneficial for circulation. The
unattractive glare of bulbs is giving way to circadian lighting that works with the
body’s natural rhythms. The drab, neutral colors on walls and floors are being
replaced with vibrant hues proven to boost energy and mood. Biophilic design —
installations that incorporate elements of nature or simply evoke the sensation of
being within nature — is becoming requisite. These are offices that put their
occupants first and function to encourage healthy habits and overall well-being.
Addressing the very human needs of office occupants is at the heart of the WELL
Building Standard, developed by the International WELL Building Institute. WELL
addresses seven concepts — air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and
mind — that, when properly incorporated into a workspace (or any built space)
can lead to increases in the health, wellness, engagement, productivity and,
consequently, retention of employees. It’s a standard that is gaining momentum
as businesses of all sizes adapt more sustainable, flexible methods of doing
business and move the health and well-being of employees to the top of their
priority lists.
“The growing norm is agile workplaces that morph to the demands and
desires of individual employees while also supporting healthy lifestyles.”
Living laboratory
In Washington, D.C., the office for the American Society of Interior Designers
(ASID) — a 8,500-square-foot building designed by Perkins+Will — staff members
change workstations daily, sometimes hourly, depending on need and desire;
enjoy free communal fruits, vegetables and herbs grown on their windowsill; and
benefit from access to natural light and a private wellness room available to
anyone looking to relax and recharge.
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contribute to the employees’ best interests. All of the features are not
immediately visible: plants line all of the windows to improve air quality, the
water is filtered for specific minerality for drinking and cleaning and varying
levels of acoustic installation based on the area of the office.
The idea is for the space to function as “a living laboratory,” according to ASID
CEO Randy Fiser, one that will allow ASID to share research on the functionality
of the space and how it affects its daily occupants with the design profession and
the workforce at large.
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Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that for American between
the ages of 25 and 54 with children, more than a third of an average day, almost
nine hours, is spent at work or handling work-related activities. Furthermore, the
clock no longer stops when an employee leaves the office. With technology, work
can, and does, continue outside typical business hours.
As employers consider the time spent in office and the evolving role of employees,
they must remain cognizant of the value of keeping employees healthy. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthier employees are less
likely to call in sick or use vacation time due to illness, and companies that
support workplace health have a greater percentage of employees at work every
day.
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According to a study by Northwestern National Life, work is the primary stressor
for a quarter of Americans— a factor that contributes to a myriad of conditions
including high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Overscheduled days that provide little time for employees to accomplish tasks are
a significant workplace stress factor. The right solution differs by company, but
employers can consider limiting the number of meetings throughout the day or
encouraging employees to work from home once a week to focus solely on the
projects at hand. For better insight, employers can survey employees to better
understand their stressors.
“Healthier employees are less likely to call in sick or use vacation time
due to illness, and companies that support workplace health have a
greater percentage of employees at work every day.”
Healthy options should be one of the simpler ways to make changes in the
workplace. Are healthy beverages available or only sugar-filled sodas? Does the
company or building cafeteria have appealing options that are also nutritious?
Answers to these questions provide an easy starting point for changes. Be sure to
evaluate after-hours options as well, particularly access to alcohol. If happy hours
with drinking are the office norm, attempt to arrange a healthy alternative such
as a post-work running club or company softball team.
Many facility managers are re-examining the physical effect of office space on
employee health and wellness. A study published in the Annals of Internal
Medicine reports that sitting for prolonged periods increases the risk of
developing several chronic conditions. The risk of cardiovascular disease
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increases by 14 percent, cancer by 13 percent, and diabetes by an alarming 91
percent. Employees who sit most of the day and get no regular exercise have a 40
percent higher risk of early death, and employees who do exercise still have a 10
percent higher risk of early death if they sit most of the day.
Encouraging employees to move away from the desk chair can be as simple as
building a section of standing desks that can be used by employees, encouraging
the use of stairs, offering access to the building’s gym, encouraging walking
meetings, or providing fitness stipends.
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Blake McGowan, CPE, Managing Consultant of Humantech, Inc., tackles our five
most pressing questions about the downsides of living on your backside.
BW: Overall, the (top three) biggest dangers in the office environment are
prolonged static postures (either standing or sitting), improper workstation setup
and poor equipment. The top six ergonomic issues in the office workplace are:
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Improper workstation surface height
Uncomfortable chairs
Inability to adjust all workstation equipment for both sitting and standing
Eyes: 39 percent
Shoulders: 35 percent
Wrists: 27 percent
Hands: 22 percent
MP: What are the hazards of staring at a computer screen all day?
BW: Working at a computer all day requires the eyes to continuously focus, move
back and forth, and align with what you are seeing. Staring at a screen all day can
lead to Computer Vision Syndrome. Symptoms include neck pain, headaches, eye
fatigue and visual discomfort. Typically, more than 50 percent of people who view
a screen have at least some symptoms of eye trouble. This includes both adults
and children.
MP: Why are germs passed so easily within shared space in an office?
BW: The most common way for germs and infections to spread is
person-to-person—touching hands, sneezing, coughing, etc. Unfortunately, more
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people than ever report that they go to work despite being sick. Workers’ hands
come in contact with 10 million bacteria a day.
Also, 40 percent of people don’t wash their hands. Four of 5 infections are
transmitted by touch. With a third of offices now using shared spaces, it is easy to
understand why it is so easy to spread germs in the office.
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Anyone who’s worked in an office knows that sitting all day can cause a host of
problems, from back and neck issues to weight gain. But for employers, the
pitfalls of a sedentary workplace can also disrupt operations, hurting productivity
as well as profits.
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Get on your feet
“Statistics show we’re meant to move, and when we don’t move it’s not just back
pain; total health issues start to increase significantly,” cautions Dr. Scott Bautch,
president of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Council on
Occupational Health. “When we sit and have inactivity, it brings on a myriad of
conditions.”
One way to achieve that activity is to provide ergonomic workstations that let
employees sit or stand at their leisure throughout the day. Bautch says sit-stand
stations are an effective way to offer as much movement and flexibility as
possible, as they allow workers of all shapes and sizes to stay upright, active and
more comfortable as the workday progresses.
“We know sitting is related to lower back pain, and when you sit for a long time in
a day, almost everyone feels stiff in their upper back and neck,” he says. Because
sit-stand stations allow workers to change position frequently, they also improve
alertness, which leads to increased productivity.
Breaks in a blink
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Together, these efforts can create a company culture of movement and flexibility
that helps keep employees healthy, comfortable and fruitful. “It doesn’t take big
breaks,” Bautch says. “It just takes that mindfulness to remind people that moving
during the day is really good for their physical and mental health.”
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