Mix Roundtable: Are offices bad for us?

Words and moderated by: Harry McKinley

Hybrid working is the new normal, but even as we juggle home and headquarters, is the traditional workplace demonstrably bad for our physical and mental health? We assembled a collection of industry experts in Manchester to discuss, coalescing around four themes.

1. Sometimes it’s not the place, it’s getting there

“Post-COVID a lot of people have had time to reflect and realise what a rat race we’d all been in. We learnt that time is precious,” explained BDP’s Rachel Bishop, citing the toll the commute took on her personally as the mother of two young children; rushing to drop them at childcare and collecting them into the evening. “With flexible home working you’ve potentially got two hours of your day back. People have been able to move to different locations in the suburbs and, for most, quality of life has improved. If we had to be in the office nine to five, we’d lose that flexibility and, with it, the immense benefit that it’s had on our mental wellbeing. So it isn’t just the office environment itself that plays a role in our health, it’s the logistics surrounding it.”

It’s a perspective backed by the numbers. UK government research suggests those who have to commute for 30 minutes or more (albeit using public transport), have the lowest levels of life satisfaction. But with employers keen to encourage workers back, at least for a few days a week, the question becomes: how can offices be conceived and designed in a way that offsets the journey to and from, and the time it requires?

For Sheppard Robson’s Claire Owens, it’s a question of value. “If you’re going to get more out of your day, then you’re more willing to grin and bear it,” she explained. “There can be an evolution of the boundaries of what workplaces provide: flexible spaces for treatment rooms, gyms, gardens and spaces to meaningfully socialise. Also, it’s even more important to consider a variety of functional spaces. If the office only caters to one type of work, whether it’s collaborative or focused, then it’s harder to maximise the time spent there; some of that time then becomes redundant and that has an impact on how positive we feel.”

While a mix of home and office working may have become the standard at most organisations, it doesn’t work for all in practice. It’s a point Specialist Group’s Ciaran O’Hagan was keen to emphasise.

“Anything from 65% to 70% of our workforce couldn’t work from home even if that was our model,” he explained. “But I don’t think working from home is good for our business and I don’t think it’s good for our people. We have very high expectations as a business, but we also believe in treating people exceptionally well. So from a bar to games rooms, we offer facilities that allow people to unwind and, crucially, be together. We’re here to talk about whether the office is detrimental to our health, but one of the worst things for our mental wellbeing is loneliness. The workplace can, when done properly, be a great opportunity to build not only a culture, but a community. We also offer mental health coaching to our team and we’re incredibly lucky that our office is in a beautiful part of the world, with fields outside the windows.”

2. Following the herd can get you lost

“It’s too easy to see what other people are doing and think, ‘that’s what we must do’,” says SpaceInvader’s Imogen Woodage. “Our job, as designers, is to tease out of clients how they work, what their cultural values are and what their brand is; it’s a journey to get them from where they are now to what they want to be. We could create an office that’s designed beautifully, but if it doesn’t work for the staff then it’s completely pointless. More than that, it’s creating these spaces that aren’t fit for purpose that leads to unhappy, unhealthy and unproductive teams.”

Open plan is the focus of particular scorn – not necessarily the design model itself, but the seemingly ubiquitous assumption that it represents the best way of working; the most effective use of space. When presented with statistics that those working in open plan environments call in sick 62% more often, there’s little surprise – even though collated sources suggest up to 70% of workplaces have ditched the cubicle.

“Cubicles were invented by Herman Miller in the 60s, of course. The assumption being that everyone needed the same set of working conditions to perform,” explains Massimo Tepedino, Hawkins\Brown. “Then we realised that, actually, it encouraged a hierarchical scenario where the more senior you are, the bigger your space. Now we realise that we need different things at different times on different days, and catering to that is key to health in the workplace. If someone isn’t feeling great, they may get more work done at home or in a more focused environment, with that also contributing to their sense of wellbeing. The assumption that we can be equally productive all day, every day, in any place is just nonsense.”

How to avoid the pitfall of working to established orthodoxy and unchallenged assumptions then? The table agrees that employers need to listen to their teams and be receptive to their needs, so designers can respond accordingly. Equally though, designers have a responsibility to challenge ideas that prioritise theory over practice.

3. Creating healthy spaces means considering the details

“The CEO of a business used to be the one who said what the office would look like and how it was designed, based on where the money was and what was driving that. Nobody engaged with the team,” opined tp bennett’s Leanne Wookey. “Everybody has different strengths and different roles that require different things, that’s the starting point. But when it comes to health and wellbeing, we’re obviously incredibly receptive to light, sound, heat and scent. Then there’s neurodiversity and specific sensitivities connected to ADHD or epilepsy. We haven’t always – and possibly still aren’t – designing spaces for everyone; spaces that genuinely aren’t detrimental to our health. It means considering these elements through how we deploy colour, through ergonomics, through acoustics, through heating controls and giving people control over light levels – and that control is key. We talk a lot about flexible and agile workspaces, but it isn’t just about what makes a space productive, it’s what makes a space pleasant to be in for different people with different needs. If someone can adjust the temperature in a room or if they have somewhere quiet they can go to disconnect, then the workplace doesn’t have to come at a cost to our wellbeing – but these details need to be considered and they need to be essentials, not just a ‘nice to have’.”

“Regardless of what disabilities people might have or not, including invisible ones, we need the right facilities around us – including creating a level of comfort that improves the overall experience,” continued Capital & Centric’s Scott Mallison. “I’ll also always look at the costs. If something isn’t working from a function point of view, if it isn’t working for the team, then it’s a waste of time, effort and money. I’ve worked in offices with areas that were never used – but which still represent a ‘cost per square foot’ to rent. So it’s really important to consider the details, in respect of the bigger picture. Creating happier, healthier workplaces, where every inch is thought out and where the space is optimised to work as well as it can for those using it (therefore encouraging uptake), is not only good for people, it’s good for the organisation.”

4. We all have a responsibility for our own wellbeing

Though environments and their design play a part in shaping our physical and mental health, some of our table also underscored the need for individual responsibility and for workers to take ownership of their wellbeing. While some aspects, including spatial design, may be beyond their control, in an increasingly flexible age, positive outcomes can also be driven by choices.

“What do we as human beings want to do? If we’re not productive, and we can, do we go for a walk instead? Do we do a breathing cycle every morning? Do we have an ice bath? What can we do for our own mental health?,” mulled O’Hagan. “What about our physical health? Do we go to the gym? Certainly colour, materiality, light and design can help. But we spoke about the commute – what do you choose to commit to for half an hour to make that a better experience?”

“We all have responsibility,” continued Wookey, “whether a business or the individual. That’s really where autonomy comes in. Beyond spaces, we have to evolve to accommodate people working in different ways, at different times. I’m lucky in that, if I decide it would be better to step away, I can do that and think, ‘oh I’ll come back to that and work on it in the evening’. That should really become the norm and if we can find a symmetry between healthy workplaces and healthy working practices, then it will be the best of both worlds for all.”