11 Workplace wellbeing: The contribution of the physical workplace to worker wellbeing By Kelly Drewery, Business Psychologist at Talent Glue Research conducted in partnership between:
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Workplace*wellbeing:!The$contribution$of$the$physical$workplace$to$worker$wellbeing$!!
By!Kelly!Drewery,!Business!Psychologist!at!Talent!Glue!
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Research!conducted!in!partnership!between:!
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Table!of!Contents!
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Foreword!........................................................................................................................................!3!
Executive!Summary!........................................................................................................................!4!
1.! How!do!we!know!whether!we!have!good!workforce!wellbeing?!..............................................!5!
2.! Maintaining!our!individual!wellbeing!.......................................................................................!7!
3.! Managing!jobHrelated!wellbeing!concerns!..............................................................................!12!
4.! Boosting!wellbeing!through!environmental!design!.................................................................!16!
5.! Embedding!wellbeing!practices!in!your!organisational!culture!...............................................!20!
6.! How!can!employers!ensure!they!link!wellbeing!to!performance!.............................................!25!
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Wellbeing!is!“the!balance!point!between!an!individual’s!resource!pool!and!the!
challenges!faced…!Stable!wellbeing!is!when!individuals!have!the!psychological,!social!
and!physical!resources!they!need!to!meet!a!particular!psychological,!social!and/or!
physical!challenge.!When!individuals!have!more!challenges!than!resources,!the!seeIsaw!
dips,!along!with!their!wellbeing,!and!viceIversa.”!!
(Dodge!et!al,!2012)!
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Good!mental!health!is!one!state!of!wellbeing!in!which!“every%individual%realises%his%or%her%own%potential,%can%cope%with%the%normal%stresses%of%life,%can%work%productively%and%fruitfully,%and%is%able%to%make%a%contribution%to%her%or%his%community”!!
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Foreword!
Our!three!organisations!provide!services!to!the!business!
community!around!workplace!wellbeing.!!Talent!Glue!
works!with!employers!to!help!build!their!reputation!and!
to!attract,!engage!and!retain!workers.!!Cambridge!Plant!
Interiors!provide!plant!displays!for!the!business!
community!to!transform!the!working!environment!with!
beautiful,!healthIgiving!trees!and!plants.!COEL!has!been!
supplying!office!furniture,!design,!maintenance!and!
storage!for!over!25!years.!
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Our!three!companies!meet!with!many!employers!in!
Cambridge!with!good!practices!to!boost!their!workforce!
wellbeing.!!Often!this!relates!to!what!employers!and!
individuals!can!do!with!the!physical!space!at!work.!
When!reviewing!the!wealth!of!wellbeing!literature,!we!
noted!that!there!is!surprisingly!little!comprehensive!
research!around!how!employers!use!the!physical!
workplace!to!boost!employee!psychological,!social!and!
physical!wellbeing.!!
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Clearly,!the!best!designed!workplace!will!not!equate!to!
good!workforce!wellbeing!unless!there!are!supporting!
practices!such!as!trust,!flexible!working!or!good!
communications.!!We!have!therefore!come!together!to!
share!our!perspectives!on!the!different!elements!that!
contribute!to!this!‘workplace!wellbeing’.!!!
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For!the!employers!we!have!visited!as!part!of!our!
research!for!this!report,!we!have!found!that!they!have!
used!a!combination!of!practices!to!maintain!wellbeing!
in!their!workplace.!!An!effective!strategy!considers!four!
elements:!!
1. How!or!whether!the!individuals!are!able!to!manage!
their!own!well!being!!!!!!!!
2. How!or!whether!the!challenges!of!the!job!are!a!
source!of!strain!or!stress!and!what!role!managers!
can!play!in!this!
3. How!or!whether!the!workplace!environment!
supports!physical!&!mental!wellbeing!
4. How!or!whether!the!organisation’s!culture!is!
conducive!to!maintaining!wellbeing!
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In!this!report,!we!will!share!the!results!of!our!research!
which!looks!at!the!‘hygiene!factors’!in!the!design!of!the!
physical!work!environment!as!well!as!the!'motivating!
factors’!in!an!organisation’s!culture!that!help!to!build!
and!maintain!wellbeing.!!!We!explore!whether!‘flexible’!
working!leads!to!an!‘always!on’!culture!where!people!
are!still!working!during!their!beach!holiday.!!We!also!
look!practically!at!what!employers!do,!and!could!do!
when!the!workspace!comes!under!pressure!–!do!those!
comfy!sofas!get!replaced!by!much!needed!desks!or!is!
there!a!move!to!a!hotIdesking!environment?!!!
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Many!employers!and!workers!have!kindly!contributed!
to!this!research.!We’d!like!to!say!thank!you!to!them!for!
taking!time!to!share!their!reflections!on!their!workplace!
and!their!wellbeing.!
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Kelly!Drewery,!Talent!Glue!(l)!
Richard!Blount,!COEL!Office!Furniture!(c)!
Lizzie!Duckworth,!Cambridge!Plant!Interiors!(r)!
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Workplace!wellbeing!in!Cambridge!
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In!Cambridge!and!environs,!the!economy!has!fared!
rather!differently!to!the!national!outlook.!Cambridge!
is!densely!populated!with!businesses!that!work!on!
long!term!product!cycles!in!technology,!
pharmaceuticals!and!education.!!As!a!result,!the!
financial!success!of!businesses!in!Cambridge!tends!to!
differ!from!other!parts!of!the!UK.!!!!
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Cambridge!also!ranks!amongst!the!top!locations!in!the!
UK!for!its!innovation!(number!of!patents!per!head)!1,!
employment!numbers!(lowest!unemployment!in!the!
country)!1,!and!‘quality!of!life’
1.!!Cambridge!workers!
also!are!in!the!sector!of!the!UK!population!most!likely!
to!cycle!to!work.!So!what!are!employers!here!doing!to!
enhance!employee!wellbeing!in!the!workplace!whilst!
maintaining!such!a!productive!outcome?!
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Throughout!this!report,!we!include!several!boxes!like!
this!one!to!highlight!our!research!findings!about!what!
is!happening!specifically!in!Cambridge.!!
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Executive!Summary!
Anyone!with!responsibility!for!wellbeing!at!their!
workplace!could!find!themselves!looking!at!a!wide!
range!of!practices!from!mental!health!support,!the!
ergonomic!set!up!of!desks,!employee!safety!policies!or!
the!tax!implications!of!the!cycle!to!work!scheme.!!
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In!our!research,!we!investigated!how!employers!are!
using!the!physical!workplace!to!boost!workforce!
wellbeing.!!We!found!employers!were!using!a!
combination!of!practices!to!maintain!wellbeing!in!their!
workplace.!!An!effective!wellbeing!strategy!considers!
four!elements!–!individual!resilience,!the!challenges!of!
the!job,!the!environment!and!the!organisation’s!
culture.!!When!these!elements!are!considered!
together,!employers!were!more!likely!to!benefit!from!
improved!productivity!and!performance!as!well!as!
higher!employee!retention!and!lower!absence.!
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We!conducted!a!survey!with!over!70!employers!and!
found!that!62%!of!people!felt!resilient!when!faced!with!
change!happening!at!work.!Resilient!people!more!
often!had!a!view!of!nature!from!their!workspace,!they!
had!social!space!where!they!could!meet!with!others!or!
a!manager!who!cared!about!their!wellbeing.!!
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Nearly!a!third!of!survey!respondents!who!reported!a!
lack!of!access!to!nature,!plants!in!their!office,!artwork!
or!natural!lighting,!were!found!to!be!less!productive;!
were!more!likely!to!work!when!they!were!not!well;!and!
were!less!proud!to!work!for!their!employer.!!!
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Of!course,!simply!having!a!wellIdesigned!workplace!will!
not!equate!to!good!workforce!wellbeing!unless!there!
are!supporting!factors!such!as!access!to!flexible!
working!or!good!communications.!!The!11%!of!survey!
respondents!who!suffered!from!low!resilience!were!
more!likely!to!feel!in!an!‘always!on’!culture!I!affected!
by!working!excessive!hours,!never!tuning!out!of!emails,!
having!‘crunch!periods’,!and!conflicting!work!priorities.!!
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Employee!relations!was!noted!to!have!an!impact!on!
employee!wellbeing.!!Not!surprisingly,!organisations!
with!higher!levels!of!trust!between!colleagues!had!
better!workforce!wellbeing.!!However,!some!
employers!were!using!the!office!space!to!reinforce!key!
messages!that!instil!that!trust!and!reassurance.!!
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Research!published!earlier!this!year!by!the!Chartered!
Institute!of!Personnel!and!Development!found!that!
organisations!build!trust!in!their!workforce!through!
one!of!four!routes:!competence,!transparency,!altruism!
and!predictability.!!!
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The!Cambridge!companies!involved!in!the!research!
were!found!to!be!using!their!physical!environment!to!
reinforce!these!messages.!!For!example,!the!Royal!
Society!of!Chemistry!reinforces!its!competence!and!
knowledge!through!the!clever!naming!of!rooms.!!
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At!print!manufacturer!Xaar,!much!of!the!physical!space!
is!used!to!communicate!transparent!processes!which!
are!paramount!to!ensuring!safety!of!their!people.!!
Attention!has!been!paid!to!how!workers!move!through!
the!buildings!to!ensure!signs!are!suitably!placed.!
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So,!for!anyone!tasked!with!improving!wellbeing!at!their!
workplace,!the!researchers!would!recommend!thinking!
about!what!you!are!trying!to!communicate!to!
employees!about!valuing!their!time,!their!safety,!and!
their!wellbeing.!!The!team’s!top!tips!for!improving!
workplace!wellbeing!that!you!might!want!to!try!to!
include:!
1. Use!the!walls!to!communicate!what!the!
organisation!values!about!its!employees!–!team!
photos,!awards!won!or!murals.!!Provide!symbols!
that!show!you!care!about!employees!–!plants,!
healthy!snacks,!breakfast!or!a!weekly!fruit!basket!
all!help!ensure!that!your!workforce!are!not!going!
for!long!periods!without!eating!and!as!a!result!
feeling!fatigued!and!exhausted.!Plants!can!
transform!an!office!environment!aesthetically!and!
cleanse!the!air!of!the!harmful!toxins!that!can!
affect!wellbeing.!
2. Encourage!staff!to!build!in!time!to!take!a!walk!
outside!during!the!day.!Maybe,!you!could!host!
meetings!outside!where!possible!to!gain!access!to!
fresh!air,!stretch!limbs!and!combat!the!strains!that!
can!be!felt!from!sitting!at!a!desk!all!day.!!
3. Offer!options!to!employees!about!how!and!where!
they!work.!Consider!implementing!flexible!working!
hours!where!this!is!operationally!possible.!Where!
the!time!and!location!is!fixed,!make!sure!the!team!
can!personalise!the!space!in!a!way!that!is!
compatible!with!the!company!image!and!the!
team's!needs.!
4. Reflect!on!the!social!space!in!the!office.!Creating!a!
relaxation!area!brings!more!integration!between!
staff!and!allows!them!to!reIenergise!themselves.!
Encourage!people!to!use!this!space!for!informal!
meetings.!
5. Use!aesthetics!to!communicate!what!the!
organisation!values!about!its!employees.!The!
furniture!says!a!lot!about!whether!employees!are!
valued!I!ensure!this!fits!the!physical!needs!of!the!
staff!such!as!desks!which!allow!you!to!work!whilst!
standing!or!sitting.!Make!sure!that!the!lighting!
adequately!provides!for!people's!needs.!
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1. How!do!we!know!whether!we!have!good!workforce!wellbeing?!!
Ask!someone!about!their!‘wellbeing!at!work’!and!they!
might!tell!you!about!the!hours!they’re!working,!the!
state!of!the!office,!whether!their!boss!trusts!them,!or!
some!other!way!that!work!is!affecting!them.!
Workforce!wellbeing!embraces!such!a!wide!range!of!
issues,!it!can!be!difficult!for!employers!to!define!and!
evaluate!effectively.!In!this!report,!we!look!at!this!
range!I!such!as!how!we!can!maintain!our!personal!
wellbeing,!how!managers!design!jobs,!how!we!use!
our!environment,!as!well!as!the!wider!organisational!
culture.!!We!explore!the!implications!these!factors!
have!for!the!design!of!our!physical!workplace.!
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Recent!developments!affecting!wellbeing!
We!have!seen!more!employers!looking!to!improve!
wellbeing!of!their!employees!over!recent!years.!!This!
is!partly!driven!by!a!social!move!towards!‘professional!
wellbeing’!I!you!only!need!to!see!the!popular!debate!
around!Adrienne!Huffington's!book!'Thrive'!to!see!a!
shift!in!mood.!!Since!the!economic!downturn!seven!
years!ago,!businesses!have!had!to!work!smarter!and!
‘do!more!with!less’.!In!turn,!many!workers!have!been!
forced!to!respond!to!these!demands!because!of!
otherwise!low!employment!opportunity.!!!
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Technology!has!changed!the!workplace!–!where!we!
work,!how!and!when.!!We!spend!more!time!at!work!
(36%)!than!we!do!sleeping!(32%)1.!!Recent!years!have!
seen!less!certain!employment!opportunities,!fewer!
workers!taking!time!off!for!sickness,!and!absenteeism!
figures!have!dropped.!!But!employers!know!their!
workforce!isn’t!suddenly!‘more!well’I!so!what!is!
happening?!!
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A!rise!in!‘presenteeism’!I!this!is!where!someone!can!
be!found!at!work!when!they!are!too!tired!to!work!or!
should!be!taking!time!to!recover!from!sickness2.!!In!
the!short!term,!some!presenteeism!can!have!a!
positive!impact!on!performance3.!!However,!early!
stages!of!a!range!of!health!problems!that!result!in!
long!term!sickness!absence!can!manifest!in!increased!
presenteeism4.!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!Steelcase.(2014)!Wellbeing:!A!bottom!line!issue.!Steelcase!360!
Magazine!
2!Caverley,!N.,!Cunningham,!J.B.!and!MacGregor,!J.!(2007)!Sickness!
presenteeism,!sickness!absenteeism!and!health!following!
restructuring!in!a!public!service!organization.!Journal!of!
Management!Studies,!volume!44:2,!pages!304I319.!
3!Johns,!G.!(2010):!Presenteeism!in!the!Workplace:!A!review!and!
research!agenda.!Journal!of!Organizational!Behavior,!31,!519I542.!
4!Bergstrom,!G.,!Bodin,!L.,!Hagberg,!J.,!Aronsson,!G.!and!Josephson,!
M.!(2009)!Sickness!presenteeism!today,!sickness!absenteeism!
tomorrow?!A!prospective!study!on!sickness!presenteeism!and!
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Ongoing!presenteeism!can!lead!to!burnout;!more!
presenteeism!today!can!mean!more!absenteeism!
tomorrow.!!Whilst!workIrelated!stress!costs!the!UK!
about!£3.7!billion!a!year5,!the!more!serious!case!of!
burnout!that!results!from!presenteeism!can!costs!the!
UK!twice!as!much!as!absenteeism!at!£15!billion!a!
year6.!!A!recent!survey!of!57,000!people!by!German!
scientists!found!that!checking!work!emails!at!home!or!
taking!calls!from!the!boss!outside!office!hours!can!
increase!risk!of!heart!problems,!anxiety!or!other!
health!problems7.!!
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These!developments!are!why!some!employers!are!
seeing!wellbeing!as!an!issue!worth!keeping!an!eye!on.!!
Using!absence!figures!is!not!enough!to!diagnose!
whether!there!are!issues;!employers!also!need!to!look!
at!what!is!happening!before!people!are!off!sick!such!
as!how!often!they!work!excessive!hours,!whether!
they!feel!resilient!to!change,!and!whether!they!feel!
they!can!be!productive!and!alert!when!at!work.!!
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What!are!the!benefits!of!having!a!‘well’!workforce?!
Much!research!has!been!done!to!evaluate!the!impact!
of!workforce!wellbeing!practices!on!organisational!
performance.!!Such!research!has!shown!that!
investment!can!be!linked!to!better!financial!
performance.!!For!example,!a!UK!study!led!by!BUPA!
illustrated!how!a!range!of!practices!had!an!impact!
with!a!return!on!investment!of!at!least!£2!for!every!
pound!spent8.!!PWC!research!found!that!inIhouse!
physiotherapy!services!for!backpain!or!poor!posture!
whilst!at!work!have!the!greatest!return!on!investment!
at!£34!saved!for!every!pound!spent9.!!!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
future!sickness!absenteeism.!Journal!of!Occupational!and!
Environmental!Medicine,!volume!51,!number!6,!pages!629I638.!5!Health!and!Safety!Executive!(HSE)!!
6!Johns,!G.!(2010)!Presenteeism!in!the!workplace:!a!review!and!
research!agenda.!Journal!of!Organizational!Behavior,!volume!31,!
pages!519I542.!Cited!by!Centre!for!Mental!Health.!7!Article!in!HR!Grapevine,!24!Sept!2014.!!
8!VaughanIJones!,!H.!&!Barham,!L.!(2010).!!Healthy!Work:!Evidence!
into!Action.!!9!PWC!(2008).!Building!the!case!for!wellness.!!
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In!addition!to!the!financial!return!is!the!clear!message!
to!the!employees!that!the!organisation!cares!about!
them.!Where!employees!do!not!feel!cared!for,!they!
are!30%!more!likely!to!leave!their!current!employer10.!
When!turnover!typically!costs!a!Technology!or!Retail!
employer!an!average!£31,808!or!£20,114!per!head!
respectively11,!this!is!a!real!expense!for!employers.!!
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When!people!feel!that!their!health!is!actively!
suffering,!they!may!still!be!present!in!the!office!and!
are!much!more!likely!to!be!disengaged!and!less!
productive!when!they!are!at!work.!!Around!54%!of!
disengaged!workers!say!work!has!had!a!negative!
effect!on!their!physical!health12.!!Such!individuals!are!
more!likely!to!create!negative!feeling!and!so!create!a!
ripple!effect!on!other!workers!I!21%!of!whom!feel!less!
motivated!or!productive!if!there!is!generally!poor!
wellbeing!in!their!workplace13.!!!
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Conversely,!where!workers!have!been!able!to!
maintain!wellbeing,!they!are!more!productive!and!
resilient.!!Those!who!are!higher!performing!workers!
have!been!found!to!be!at!lower!risk!of!ill!health14.!!So!
the!impact!of!wellbeing!practices!can!be!seen!to!
reduce!damage!as!well!as!boost!performance.!
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There!is!also!the!benefit!or!damage!to!business!
reputation.!!Best!Companies!to!Work!for!notes!that!
wellbeing!is!one!of!eight!key!factors!that!great!
companies!get!right.!!In!2014,!six!of!their!top!ten!
businesses!excelled!in!wellbeing!practices15.!
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Later!in!the!report,!we!explore!evaluation!of!
workplace!wellbeing!and!how!to!identify!what!action!
to!take.!Before!then,!we!will!look!at!the!factors!that!
influence!whether!people!have!a!sense!of!wellbeing.!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!Chamberlain,!C!(2014).!!A!third!would!consider!leaving!their!job,!if!
they!didn't!feel!cared!for.!ICM!Unlimited!Market!Research.!11!Oxford!Economics!(2014)!“The!cost!of!brain!drain”,!February!
2014!12!Crabtree!S.!(2005).!Engagement!Keeps!the!Doctor!Away.!Gallup!
Business!Journal.!13!Chamberlain,!C!(2014).!!A!third!would!consider!leaving!their!job,!
if!they!didn't!feel!cared!for.!ICM!Unlimited!Market!Research.!14!Steel,!P.,!Schmidt,!J.,!&!Schultz,!J.!(2008).!Refining!the!
relationship!between!personality!and!subjective!wellIbeing.!
Psychological!Bulletin,!134,!138–161.!15!My!research!using!the!database!of!companies!from!Best!
Companies!(2014)!
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State!of!wellbeing!in!Cambridge!
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We!conducted!a!survey!with!more!than!70!companies!in!
Cambridge!and!the!surrounding!area.!!Overall,!69%!of!
respondents!felt!their!employer!was!actively!working!to!
ensure!their!wellbeing!and!the!same!proportion!felt!they!
have!been!able!to!maintain!a!sense!of!wellbeing!over!the!
last!12!months.!!Those!who!had!been!able!to!maintain!a!
sense!of!wellbeing!were!significantly!more!likely!to!feel!
productive!(94%),!alert!(79%)!and!engaged!(66%)!versus!
those!who!were!not!(65%,!48%!and!27%!respectively).!!!
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On!the!whole,!74%!felt!comfortable!with!the!level!of!
pressure!placed!upon!them!by!their!job.!!Where!people!
were!not!comfortable,!they!were!less!likely!to!
recommend!their!employer,!felt!less!resilient!to!change!
and!were!less!engaged!at!work.!!This!group!were!more!
likely!to!report!that!they!work!when!they!are!so!tired!
they!are!beyond!being!productive.!!To!help!them!deal!
with!the!pressure,!this!group!more!frequently!
emphasised!the!importance!of!social!contact!with!
colleagues!and!having!a!manager!who!cares!about!their!
wellbeing.!
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Of!concern!is!that!78%!of!respondents!said!they!work!
even!when!they!are!not!feeling!well.!!For!those!who!do!
work!when!not!well,!they!were!also!more!likely!to!work!
beyond!feeling!productive!and!less!likely!to!feel!their!
employer!demonstrates!concern!for!their!wellbeing.!!
Conversely,!those!workers!who!stop!to!recuperate!when!
they!are!not!well!were!more!likely!to!feel!productive,!
comfortable!with!the!level!of!pressure!they!experience!
and!were!more!likely!to!feel!resilient!to!organisational!
change.!!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
77!
!
!
7!
2. Maintaining!our!individual!wellbeing!
!
We!all!know!people!who!seem!to!speed!along!
through!life!surrounded!by!pressure!of!deadlines,!a!
weight!of!financial!problems,!family!dramas!and!yet,!
in!the!midst!of!all!this,!they!have!just!entered!that!
charity!triathlon.!!Whatever!the!setup!in!our!
organisation,!how!we!use!our!personal!workspace!
and!immediate!environment!can!help!maintain!our!
personal!resilience!and!wellbeing.!!We!use!our!space!
in!ways!that!reflect!our!resilience,!motivation!and!
personality.!!Our!workspace!can!affect!our!mental!
and!physical!health!as!well!as!our!state!of!life!
satisfaction.!In!this!section,!we!look!at!how!we!can!
manage!our!personal!space!to!better!maintain!our!
wellbeing!when!at!work.!
!
Personality!
Finding!a!workspace!that!fits!with!your!personality!
can!have!a!real!impact!on!how!comfortable,!focused!
and!productive!you!feel.!Recent!trends!in!workspace!
design!have!moved!towards!large!open!plan!offices!
which!are!designed!to!improve!communication,!
generate!belonging!and!create!a!sense!of!action.!!This!
environment!works!well!for!people!who!get!their!
energy!from!working!with!others!and!see!interaction!
as!part!of!getting!the!job!done!–!a!so!called!
‘extrovert’.!!!
!
But!these!open!spaces!don’t!necessarily!offer!the!
right!environment!for!all!personality!types.!!!In!
contrast!to!the!outgoing!extrovert,!introverts!can!find!
an!open!plan!environment!distracting!and!difficult!to!
work!in.!!Although!introverts!may!enjoy!the!company!
of!other!people,!they!are!at!their!most!productive!
when!they!have!quiet!space!and!‘time!to!think’.!!You!
can!spot!these!people!in!an!open!plan!office!with!
head!phones!on!trying!to!tune!out!from!disruptive!
noise!or!moving!to!have!discussions!in!meeting!rooms!
rather!than!at!their!desk!‘where!everyone!can!hear’.!
!
!
!
!
!
“I#am#a#sociable#person#and#like#to#work#in#a#vibrant,#
exciting#and#fun#environment.#I#find#it#demotivating#
working#in#silence#and#like#to#bounce#ideas#off#
others,#chat#and#work#in#a#positive#environment.#As#
long#as#the#work#gets#done#I#don't#see#why#you#
shouldn't#make#the#best#of#your#day#at#work.”#
#Young!worker!in!NotIforIProfit!sector!
!
!
!
!
In!Quiet:%The%Power%of%Introverts%in%a%World%That%Can’t%Stop%Talking,!Susan!Cain!suggested!introverted!workers!face!too!much!stimulation!in!the!open!plan!
workplace!(where!people!get!interrupted!around!
every!11!minutes16)!and!offered!several!workplace!
design!principles!to!better!support!this!group:!!
• permission!to!be!alone!in!a!quiet!space!where!
you!will!be!free!from!interruption!to!help!
rejuvenation!or!task!focus!!
• having!some!control!over!the!noise!and!light!
levels!in!your!environment!
• sensory!balance!such!as!warm,!calming!
influences,!organic!materials!and!wood!
!
Some!introverts!may!choose!to!work!away!from!the!
office!to!get!the!space!to!focus!on!particular!tasks.!
Workers!conduct!around!31%!of!their!work!away!
from!the!physical!office17.!!If!you!don’t!have!this!
option,!you!may!want!to!consider!how!you!can!adapt!
your!workspace!or!use!other!areas!of!your!workplace!
to!have!an!environment!where!you!can!perform!at!
your!best.!
!
Extroverts!may!find!it!more!difficult!to!work!remotely!
from!the!office.!!If!you!are!in!a!role!where!you!are!
required!to!do!this,!you!may!want!to!connect!with!
other!people!by!actively!going!to!the!office!on!certain!
days!or!working!in!a!local!community!hub!such!as!a!
coffee!shop!or!coIworking!space.!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!16!Susan!Cain!(2014)!Quiet!Spaces!by!Steelcase.!See!
www.steelcase.com!17!Susan!Cain!(2014)!Quiet!Spaces!by!Steelcase.!See!
www.steelcase.com!
Introversion!and!extroversion!in!Cambridge!
!
In!our!survey,!44%!of!people!reported!themselves!as!
extroverts!versus!34%!as!introverts.!!Those!who!are!
extrovert!were!more!likely!to!feel!that!banter!with!
colleagues,!onsite!social!spaces!and!coffee!breaks!
contribute!to!their!wellbeing.!Those!who!are!
introverted!were!likely!to!place!more!emphasis!on!a!
manager!that!cares!about!their!wellbeing!and!views!
of!nature!from!the!office.!Introverts!were!less!likely!
than!extroverts!to!feel!that!they!could!maintain!
wellbeing!during!a!period!of!organisational!change.!
!
!
!
! ! !
88!
!
!
8!
!
!
Motivation!!
Although!quite!rare,!some!people!are!motivated!to!
work!for!an!employer!where!there!is!simply!suitable!
pay,!hours!and!in!a!convenient!location.!!The!majority!
of!people!seek!more!meaningful!return!from!the!work!
they!do.!!People!find!different!work!environments!
motivating.!For!example,!working!somewhere!we!can!
be!creative,!be!sociable,!focus!on!a!task,!or!where!we!
can!be!efficient.!A!call!centre!may!attract!very!
different!workers!to!a!professional!services!firm!or!to!
the!emergency!services.!!!
!
Daniel!Pink,!the!management!guru,!emphasised!
autonomy,!mastery!and!purpose!as!common!
underlying!motivators!for!most!workers18.!!What!this!
means!for!people!in!different!job!functions!or!
industries!varies!–!so!autonomy!for!workers!in!a!call!
centre!might!mean!something!quite!different!to!a!
research!lab!or!if!someone!is!working!in!the!
emergency!services.!!A!creative!person!may!struggle!
in!an!organisation!with!rigid!processes!and!little!time!
for!innovation;!whilst!a!person!more!motivated!to!be!
efficient!may!find!this!environment!more!rewarding.!
!
People!experiencing!poor!wellbeing!can!often!be!
found!in!environment!that!differ!to!their!natural!
preferences!–!often!referred!to!by!psychologists!as!
someone’s!‘personIorganisation!fit’.!At!times!in!our!
careers,!we!may!join!organisations!where!we!haven’t!
fully!investigated!whether!the!environment!we!will!be!
working!in!really!fits!with!what!we!want.!!We!might!
be!pleased!to!get!the!job!for!a!range!of!other!
professional!or!personal!reasons.!!
!
Understanding!what!motivates!you!can!ensure!you!
create!a!suitable!setup!for!yourself.!!Do!you!prefer!to!
be!somewhere!that!is!attractive!and!that!gives!you!
space!to!spread!out!and!be!creative?!Do!you!want!
somewhere!with!the!best!technology!or!kit!to!help!
you!be!efficient?!Or!do!you!want!space!at!work!where!
you!can!interact!with!people!informally!(and!not!just!
a!brief!chat!by!the!kettle)?!If!you!are!not!getting!the!
things!that!help!you!function!at!your!best!–!what!can!
you!do!to!improve!your!space?!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!18!Daniel!Pink!(2010).!Drive:%The%surprising%truth%about%what%
motivates%us.%%
! !
!
Resilience!!
Our!resilience!refers!to!our!ability!to!overcome!
difficulties!and!perform!reliably!when!under!
duress.!!The!more!resilient!we!are,!the!more!we!can!
deal!well!with!pressure,!and!so!the!more!we!are!able!
to!maintain!a!sense!of!wellbeing!when!things!are!
difficult!or!when!our!organisation!goes!through!a!
period!of!change19.!!!
!
Under!excessive!pressure!or!ongoing!stress,!a!worker!
can!start!to!show!selfIdestructive!behaviour.!!
Psychologists!Hogan!&!Hogan!found!that!when!
people!feel!under!pressure,!they!start!to!exhibit!
changes!in!personality!that!can!affect!their!ability!to!
perform!and!gradually!affect!their!wellbeing20.!
Someone!who!is!normally!enthusiastic!can!become!
moody!and!unpredictable;!or!someone!who!is!
normally!charismatic!can!become!manipulative!when!
under!stress.!!!
!
To!reduce!the!likelihood!of!these!‘dark!side’!
tendencies!appearing,!there!are!some!things!you!can!
introduce!to!your!working!environment!to!help!you!
reduce!stress!and!pressure.!!For!example,!in!our!
research!we!found!that!having!a!view!of!nature!from!
the!window!can!help!people!feel!more!resilient!(see!
‘Boosting!Resilient!in!Cambridge’!below).!The!
serotonin!neurotransmitter!produced!in!your!brain!
from!exposure!to!natural!day!light!helps!boost!your!
mood!and!sense!of!wellbeing.!
!
“[An!employer!that!offers!wellbeing]#makes#you#feel#
valued#and#a#part#of#a#working#'family',#makes#time#
at#work#something#you#'want'#to#do#instead#of#
something#you#'have'#to#do.”#
Mid!career,!Professional!Services!worker
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!19!!Mguni,!N.!(2011).!The%wellbeing%and%resilience%paradox.!!Young!
Foundation.!20!Hogan,!R.!and!Hogan,!J.!(2001).!Assessing!Leadership:!A!View!
from!the!Dark!Side.!International%Journal%of%Selection%and%Assessment%9,!40–51!
Creative!environments!
!
In!Cambridge,!the!people!who!felt!creative!at!work!
were!more!likely!to!have!a!work!environment!that!
offered!a!healthy!physical!environment.!!Those!with!
creative!environments!were!more!likely!to!have!
suitable!technology!to!help!their!work!(87%),!
informal!meeting!spaces!(77%),!art!work!on!the!
walls!(72%)!or!views!of!nature!(66%).!!Those!who!
felt!they!were!in!a!creative!environment!were!also!
significantly!more!likely!to!feel!engaged!at!work.!!
!
!
!
! ! !
99!
!
!
9!
!
If!it!isn’t!possible!to!sit!yourself!near!a!window,!you!
may!want!to!invest!in!a!special!light!designed!to!emit!
natural!daylight.!You!could!choose!to!eat!your!lunch!
outdoors!or!have!that!next!oneItoIone!meeting!whilst!
walking!outside.!!!The!vitamin!D!you!gain!after!just!
ten!minutes!exposure!to!natural!daylight!each!day!
helps!create!endorphins!and!boosts!your!mood21.!!If!
you!do!not!have!access!to!natural!light.!!!
!
“I#find#it#claustrophobic#to#be#stuck#in#the#office#all#
day,#particularly#in#the#summer.#I#like#to#be#able#to#
get#outside#in#the#fresh#air#and#get#a#proper#break#
from#work#so#it#is#advantageous#if#there#is#
somewhere#to#go.”## # #
NotIforIProfit!sector!worker!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21!www.nhs.uk/livewell/!
!
Life!satisfaction!
The!extent!that!people!are!expected!to!commute!or!
travel!for!work!can!significantly!affect!their!wellbeing.!
The!average!Briton!spends!54!minutes!a!day!
commuting!to!their!workplace22;!and!with!every!
minute,!there!is!a!decrease!in!one’s!life!satisfaction!I!
i.e.!our!long!term!outlook!rather!than!our!dayItoIday!
moods!or!stresses.!Commuter!stress!is!caused!by!
feeling!a!lack!of!control!due!to!delayed!trains,!traffic!
jams!and!unpredictable!weather.!!!
!
Of!course,!those!who!cycle!or!walk!to!work!have!the!
advantage!of!knowing!that!regular!physical!activity!
improves!their!wellbeing,!but!cycling!to!work!can!also!
be!a!stressful!experience!if!on!a!route!through!heavy!
traffic23.!!
!
Life!satisfaction!is!also!affected!by!our!ability!to!
connect!socially!with!each!other24.!!When!we!spend!a!
third!of!our!time!working,!the!social!contact!at!work!
can!be!vital!to!our!life!satisfaction!and!wellbeing.!
Contact!via!social!media!or!technology!offers!little!
benefit!–!too!much!time!spent!on!social!media!has!
actually!been!found!to!increase!loneliness!rather!than!
boost!a!sense!of!connection!with!others25.!!In!the!
physical!work!environment,!people!need!to!connect!
with!others!eyeItoIeye!to!maintain!their!life!
satisfaction.!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!22!BBC!News!12!Feb!2014.!
23!ONS!(2014).!Commuting!and!personal!wellbeing.!ONS!Measuring!
National!Wellbeing!programme!24!Banks!et!al!(2010).!Financial!circumstances,!health!and!wellIbeing!
of!the!older!population!in!England.!Institute!of!Fiscal!Studies.!25!Kross!et!al!(2013).!Facebook!Use!Predicts!Declines!in!Subjective!
WellIBeing!in!Young!Adults.!PLoS!ONE!8(8)!
Boosting!resilience!in!Cambridge!
!
In!our!research,!62%!of!respondents!felt!they!were!
able!to!maintain!wellbeing!whilst!there!was!a!period!
of!change!at!work.!!Those!feeling!resilient!were!also!
more!likely!to!have!informal!meeting!space!nearby!
(77%),!a!manager!who!cares!about!their!wellbeing!
(72%)!as!well!as!nature!daylight!in!their!workspace!
(60%).!!Those!who!were!suffering!from!lower!
resilience!were!significantly!more!likely!to!feel!poor!
communication!between!colleagues!(82%)!and!that!
they!were!in!an!‘always!on’!culture!I!affected!by!
having!‘crunch!periods’!(79%),!conflicting!priorities!
(74%),!working!excessive!hours!(62%),!and!never!
tuning!out!of!emails!(56%).!They!also!reported!a!lack!
of!‘personal!wealth’!to!treat!themselves!outside!work.!!
!
!
Natural!daylight!at!Proquest!
!
At!Proquest,!they!have!“daylight”!tube!lighting!and!
are!considering!moving!to!LED!sky!tile!panels.!LED!
lighting!panels!have!the!same!lightwaves!as!natural!
light.!!This!change!of!lighting!will!save!the!
Cambridge!business!around!£15,000!a!year!in!
energy!costs!and!a!further!£5k!of!maintenance!
costs.!!The!employees!and!the!many!plants!around!
the!office!benefit!from!this!natural!light.!
!
They!also!pursue!a!range!of!other!wellbeing!
initiatives!including!breakfast,!fruit,!break!out!areas,!
coloured!walls!and!art!work,!outdoor!space!for!
lunch,!Healthshield!healthcare,!sports!days,!social!
evenings,!health!workshops!and!flexible!working.!
Core!working!hours!between!10am!I!4pm!offers!a!
good!balance!between!collaboration!happening!
whilst!also!providing!choice!about!how!the!rest!of!
an!individual’s!working!day!is!organised!around!their!
out!of!work!commitments.!
!
!
!
! ! !
1010!
!
!
10!
!
“Trees,#plants,#views#of#nature,#banter#with#
colleagues,#natural#daylight#and#a#social#space#
nearby#–#these#are#all#things#I#would#choose#if#I#were#
at#home#and#they#make#me#feel#more#like#a#human#
being#and#less#like#a#machine”#
Mid!career,!Technology!sector!worker!
!
Clearly,!this!has!particular!implications!for!remote!
workers!or!those!working!in!one!person!businesses!in!
terms!of!ensuring!they!organise!their!day!to!include!
some!time!around!other!people.!!However,!it!also!has!
implications!for!those!working!in!larger!organisations!
and!how!we!use!the!physical!environment!during!the!
day!to!connect!with!others.!!Maybe!trial!a!day!where!
you!go!and!see!people!rather!than!send!emails!and!
see!what!impact!this!has!on!you!at!the!end!of!the!day.!
#
#
“I#suffer#from#anxiety#and#this#is#heightened#by#
where#I#sit#and#also#by#the#fact#that#it#is#so#quiet#I#
spend#a#lot#of#time#feeling#unsteady#and#on#edge.”#
Mid!career,!Not!for!profit!sector!
!
!
!
Mental!health!!
For!most!of!us,!our!mental!health!is!generally!stable!
but!may!fluctuate!when!we!experience!significant!life!
events.!At!these!times,!people!can!experience!some!
form!of!anxiety!or!depression!and,!as!a!result,!may!
experience!reduced!alertness!at!work!and!it!can!
gradually!have!an!impact!on!all!areas!of!our!lives.!
Anxiety!and!depression!are!the!most!common!mental!
health!problems!in!the!workplace,!with!about!1!in!10!
people!affected!at!any!given!time26.!!Symptoms!differ!
between!people!and!many!feel!a!stigma!and!so!keep!
these!problems!hidden!from!their!employer.!!
!
Maintaining!our!mental!health!involves!making!some!
life!choices!and!seeking!appropriate!support!when!
things!don’t!feel!quite!right.!At!work,!this!might!
include!keeping!physically!active!and!taking!breaks!
from!work!–!so!having!access!to!a!sit/stand!desk!can!
help!us!avoid!the!risk!of!a!sedentary!lifestyle!at!an!
office!desk!and!help!both!our!mental!and!physical!
health.!!
!!
Mindfulness!can!be!an!important!tool!in!supporting!
our!mental!health!during!our!working!day.!!To!do!this!
effectively,!we!might!need!a!place!we!can!go!where!
we!can!feel!relaxed!and!calm.!!Only!59%!of!workers!
were!found!to!have!an!environment!where!they!can!
feel!relaxed,!calm,!mindful!and!focused27.!!!You!may!
want!to!think!about!how!to!improve!your!personal!
workspace!such!as!the!materials,!textures,!colours,!
lighting,!plants!and!views!that!you!have!available.!!
!
!
Physical!health!!
People!at!work!when!they!are!not!well!can!
experience!more!workplace!accidents,!interIpersonal!
conflict!and!poor!decision!making!which!can!also!
affect!the!ability!of!their!colleagues!to!work!
effectively28.!
!
So!why!do!we!go!to!work!when!we're!sick?!By!being!
absent,!many!of!us!fear!that!work!won’t!get!done!in!
our!absence,!letting!other!down!or!we!are!missing!out!
on!pay.!!Some!also!fear!missing!performance!targets!
or!the!strict!attendance!practices.!!In!one!
organisation!I!heard!about!recently,!the!CEO!demands!
that!people!call!him!personally!when!they!need!to!
take!a!day!off!sick.!!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!26!Mental!Health!Foundation!(2014).!Mental!Health!Statistics!UK!
and!Worldwide.!27!Steelcase!(2014).!Wellbeing:!A!bottom!line!issue.!
28!Let’s!get!physical!(2013).!Mental!Health!Foundation.!!
!
!
Maintaining!individual!wellbeing!with!Mind!in!
Cambridgeshire!
Mind!has!a!series!of!Think!Right!leaflets!to!support!
people!with!mental!wellness.!!One!of!their!tips!for!
maintaining!mental!health!is!around!opportunities!for!
social!contact.!!
!
Mind,!the!national!mental!health!organisation!has!a!local!
branch!in!Cambridge.!!They!conduct!regular!training!
courses!around!Mental!Health!First!Aid.!!These!courses!
train!workers!to!spot!the!first!signs!of!mental!health!
problems!amongst!colleagues!and!other!people.!!
Participants!learn!how!to:!!
• Spot!the!early!signs!of!a!mental!health!problem!
• Feel!confident!helping!someone!experiencing!a!
problem!
• Provide!help!on!a!‘first!aid’!basis!
• Help!stop!a!mental!illness!from!getting!worse!
• Help!someone!recover!faster!
• Guide!someone!towards!the!right!support!
• Reduce!the!stigma!of!mental!health!problems!
!!
!
!
!
! ! !
1111!
!
!
11!
!
Feature:!!Getting!‘bums’!off!seats!
After!Denmark!introduced!a!law!enforcing!employers!
to!offer!employees!the!option!of!a!sitIstand!desk!in!
early!2014,!there!has!been!a!renewed!surge!of!
interest!in!the!health!implications!of!sitting!for!
extended!time!during!the!working!day.!!!
!
Sitting!for!long!periods!can!constrict!our!circulation,!
connective!tissues!tighten!and!metabolism!slows.!
‘Work!potatoes’!–!people!who!sit!for!many!hours!a!
day!at!work!I!are!at!greater!risk!of!cardiovascular!
problems!and!diabetes!due!to!a!reduced!activity!of!
lipase!(a!lipoprotein)!which!breaks!down!fat!to!burn!
as!energy.!!A!trip!to!the!gym!doesn’t!undo!the!
damage!as!regular!muscle!activity!is!essential!for!the!
health!benefit.!!!
!
Scientists!from!Leicester!and!Loughborough!
Universities!have!found!that!people!are!at!increased!
risk!of!diabetes!or!heart!disease!if!they!spend!too!long!
sitting;!even!if!they!get!exercise!at!other!times!
outside!work29.!Those!who!are!sedentary!are!likely!to!
live!two!years!less!than!their!more!active!
colleagues30.!!
!
Standing!burns!50!calories!more!per!hour!than!sitting!
which!equates!to!30,000!calories!a!year,!3.5!kg!of!fat!
or!10!marathons.!
!!
Changing!the!work!environment!to!allow!people!to!
stand!involves!more!than!just!buying!a!sit/stand!desk.!
Row!after!row!of!desks!are!set!up!to!maximise!the!
number!of!people!that!can!be!legally!squeezed!into!
costly!office!space.!Prices!for!sit/stand!desks!vary!but!
they!cost!more!than!conventional!desks!at!around!
£500!per!desk!which!compares!with!a!standard!desk!
at!£150I£200.!
!
Standing!encourages!more!energy!and!creativity.!So!
why!has!standing!been!so!out!of!fashion!for!the!last!
40!years?!!For!one,!it's!much!easier!to!supervise!and!
control!people!when!they're!sitting!down.!The!focus!
on!computer!based!work!is!another.!!And!some!
suggest!that!having!a!fixed!desk!and!chair!increase!a!
sense!of!job!security.!
!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!29!BBC!News!15!October!2012!
30!BBC!News!16!October!2013!
Ergotron’s%‘Workspace%planner’%online%calculator%can%give%you%the%ideal%measures%for%sitting%and%standing%desks%for%your%height31!!
!
So!what!can!we!do!to!ensure!we!have!a!healthy!
workspace?!!When!planning!our!working!day,!we!
could!identify!times!when!we!need!to!sit!such!as!
when!our!work!requires!sustained!attention!to!detail,!
writing,!multiItasking,!focused!analysis!or!problem!
solving.!!At!other!times,!when!we!have!meetings,!or!
we’re!on!the!phone,!being!creative,!i.e.!when!we!are!
not!doing!heavy!duty!thinking,!we!tend!to!perform!
better!when!standing!or!moving!around.!!
!
Depending!on!how!we!typically!spend!our!day,!we!
may!be!better!off!having!the!option!of!a!sitIstand!
desk!I!certainly!for!meetings.!!Can!you!try!holding!
your!meeting!whilst!walking!outside,!on!the!stairs!or!
in!the!kitchen?!!Where!you!are!likely!to!spend!
significant!time!working!on!complex!tasks,!ensure!you!
have!furniture!that!is!easily!adjustable!and!take!
regular!breaks!to!move!around!throughout!the!day.!!!
!
! !
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!31!See!planner.ergotron.com/!
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1212!
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12!
3. Managing!jobHrelated!wellbeing!concerns!!
!
Sometimes,!no!matter!what!we!do!to!maintain!our!
personal!wellbeing,!we!can!just!feel!pressure!or!
stressed!as!a!result!of!our!work.!One!reason!this!can!
occur!is!the!design!of!the!job!has!not!been!considered!
thoroughly.!!Jobs!can!be!affected!by!changes!in!work!
requirements,!individual!worker’s!needs!or!in!the!
organisation’s!priorities.!In!this!section,!we!look!from!
a!manager’s!perspective!about!how!they!can!help!
ensure!jobs!are!designed!to!maintain!sustainable!
wellbeing!and!performance.!
!
Providing!choice!
Technology!advances!are!allowing!us!to!have!greater!
control!and!flexibility!over!when!and!where!we!work.!!
Our!smart!phones!allow!us!to!access!our!work!emails!
at!any!time!of!the!day!from!the!moment!we!wake!to!
when!we!sleep.!!As!a!result,!the!structure!of!our!
working!day!is!very!different!to!even!just!ten!years!
ago.!!Mobile!technology!means!that!many!of!us!can!
better!manage!when!we!work!in!line!with!our!lives!
outside.!!!
!
This!technology!is!also!changing!the!way!that!people!
use!the!workplace.!!Increasingly,!the!workplace!is!
used!for!meetings!and!contact!time!whilst!less!time!is!
spent!concentrating!on!detailed!individual!tasks.!For!
office!based!businesses,!this!creates!a!need!for!more!
social!interactive!space!as!opposed!to!a!computerI
based!workspace!for!every!employee.!Yet,!not!all!
managers!or!organisations!are!taking!full!advantage!
that!these!technological!advances!offer!to!the!
workplace,!such!as!giving!people!the!choice!of!where!
and!how!to!work!that!is!most!appropriate!for!people.!
!
!
!
However,!mobile!technology!can!also!have!an!
negative!impact!on!how!we!interface!with!our!
workplace!in!a!way!that!affects!our!health.!!The!
downtime!that!our!body!and!brain!needs!to!rest!is!
being!squeezed!to!a!point!where!many!people!find!it!
harder!to!work!at!their!peak!performance.!Smart!
phones!have!become!a!Trojan!Horse!into!our!home!
lives!and!contribute!to!worker!burnIout32.!!Blue!light!
from!smart!phones!being!used!late!at!night!affects!
our!sleep!patterns33.!!
!
“Flexible#working#hours#make#me#feel#my#workplace#
understands#and#appreciates#us.”#
Mid!career,!Not!for!Profit!sector!worker
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!32!Derks,!D!&!Bakker,!A.B!(2012).!Smartphone!use,!workIhome!
interference!and!burnout:!A!diary!Study!on!the!role!of!recovery.!
Journal!of!Applied!Psychology,!63(3).!411I440..!!33!Harvard!Medical!School!(2012).!Blue!light!has!a!dark!side.!
Harvard!Newsletter!May!2012.!
Figure!1!How!the!typical!working!day!has!changed!since!2000!
Technological!time!in!Cambridge!
!
Fewer!than!20%!of!respondents!felt!that!the!
technology!they!had!access!from!their!workplace!
meets!their!needs.!!However,!there!is!probably!an!
opportunity!to!improve!technology!to!help!people!to!
better!manage!their!time.!Our!survey!shows!that!
wellbeing!of!around!half!of!people!are!affected!by!
time!pressure.!!Respondents!noted!that!busy!‘crunch!
times’!(59%)!and!working!excessive!hours!(49%)!
affected!their!wellbeing.!!Adding!to!this!pressure,!
49%!feel!commuting!excessive!hours!to!get!to!their!
workplace!affected!them!too.!!When!not!at!work,!
39%!felt!that!they!could!not!‘tune!out’!of!work!–!for!
example,!responding!to!emails!and!contact!from!
colleagues!or!others;!this!‘always!on’!feeling!was!
affecting!their!wellbeing.!!As!many!as!half!of!people!
(50%)!lacked!time!for!physical!exercise!outside!the!
working!day.!
!
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1313!
!
!
13!
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!
!
So,!what!can!managers!do!about!the!impact!on!
increasingly!mobile!technology?!!The!evidence!
indicates!that!providing!workers!with!control!over!
where!and!how!they!work!is!much!more!likely!to!
generate!positive!wellbeing.!When!employees!feel!
empowered,!they!are!26%!more!satisfied,!have!a!
clearer!sense!of!autonomy,!and!a!greater!sense!of!
wellbeing34.!!Some!research!has!found!that!people!
can!work!for!an!additional!15!hours!a!week!when!
they!are!mobile35!I!whether!this!is!good!or!bad!news!
is!your!judgement.!
!
Those!seemingly!most!at!risk!of!technologyIinduced!
wellbeing!problems!are!frequent!travellers!and!those!
working!across!time!zones!where!emails!continue!to!
pour!in!24/736.!!Interestingly,!some!research!showed!
although!they!might!feel!stressed,!those!who!chose!to!email!out!of!hours!felt!more!positive!–!they!felt!a!
sense!of!importance!and!status37.!!For!those!working!
away!from!the!workplace,!this!research!indicates!the!
importance!of!providing!choice!to!mobile!workers!
around!how!and!when!they!engage!with!the!
workplace.!!!
!
A!key!barrier!to!flexible!working!can!be!trust!that!
people!are!working!when!they!are!away!from!the!
office.!!Some!managers!fear!that!people!might!take!
advantage!of!being!away!from!the!office!to!have!a!
break.!!This!rarely!happens!in!practice!where!there!
are!clear!performance!targets!set.!!Such!assumptions!
are!based!on!outmoded!views!of!managementIbyI
observation!and!employee!motivation.!!!
!
Several!organisations!involved!in!our!research!noted!
that!role!modelling!by!senior!managers!around!
flexible!working!was!key!to!building!trust!amongst!
other!managers!as!well!as!frontline!workers.!Another!
way!to!manage!flexible!working!practically!is!
proactively!communicating!when!others!can!expect!a!
response!to!emails!or!calls!I!perhaps!by!setting!up!an!
autoIresponse!message!about!current!working!
patterns.!!!!This!can!be!a!simple!way!to!help!people!to!
maintain!a!sense!of!choice!and!control.!!!
!
“Having!up!to!date!technology!makes!life!so!much!
easier!at!work.”!
Mobile!worker!in!Technology!sector!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!34!Kifer,(2013).!The!good!life!of!the!powerful.!Psychological%
Sciences.!!35!Is!telework!driving!us!crazy!BBC!News!18!Sept!2012.!
36!Harrop,!B.!&!Roberton,!I.!(2012).!Frequent!Traveller!WellIbeing.!
Icarus!and!Leeds!University!Business!School.!!!37!Witter,!D.!&!Li,!D.!(2014).!Using!mobile!technology!for!work!
linked!to!higher!stress.!!Gallup.!
!!
Flexible!working!at!Global!Graphics!
!
Founded!in!1988,!CambourneIbased!Global!Graphics!
develops!printing!and!electronic!document!software.!By!
focusing!on!workforce!wellbeing,!they!believe!they!
achieve!retention!and!are!seen!to!be!a!caring!
organisation.!!The!employee!‘deal’!involves!a!broad!
lifestyle!approach!and!providing!flexibility!works!well!for!
retaining!workers.!!This!approach!emerged!from!
understanding!what!was!important!to!their!workers.!!
!
Flexible!working!is!embedded!in!the!culture!of!the!
organisation!–!there!are!no!core!working!hours.!!It!is!a!
two!way!deal!and!people!work!to!meet!deadlines!when!
required.!!People!have!different!working!patterns!with!
some!checking!emails!early!in!the!morning!or!late!
evening!or!in!the!office!for!only!some!time!in!the!day.!
Once!recruits!have!passed!a!probation!period,!they!are!
able!to!take!on!a!variety!of!different!working!patterns.!!!
!
Key!to!ensuring!flexible!working!works!for!the!business!
is!that!people!follow!agreed!work!patterns!such!as!
compressed!hours!or!split!hours.!Teams!are!able!to!
arrange!team!meetings!to!fit!these!patterns.!!People!
understand!they!are!accountable!for!the!delivery!of!
their!targets,!however!they!choose!to!deliver!them.!!The!
culture!is!collaborative!and!people!work!together!to!
achieve!deadlines!and!outcomes.!!Performance!is!peer!
driven!rather!than!through!a!formal!performance!
process.!!Occasionally,!there!is!a!need!for!coaching!and!
support!where!people!have!overworked;!conversely,!
where!someone!is!not!contributing!fairly,!then!this!is!
quickly!tackled.!!The!organisation!recognizes!that!this!
culture!and!informal!approach!works!best!in!a!smaller!
business.!
!
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1414!
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14!
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Managing!workloads!
How!workloads!and!pressure!can!be!evaluated!is!
another!management!issue!that!is!affected!by!
progressive!uses!of!mobile!technology.!Traditional!
operations!management!practices!can!still!rely!on!
people!being!observed!at!the!workplace.!!However,!
with!an!increasingly!large!demand!for!mobile!and!
homeIbased!working,!comes!the!need!for!different!
ways!of!managing!people,!their!activities!and!
wellbeing.!!!
!
I#feel#as#if#I#would#be#letting#not#just#myself#but#large#
and#connected#teams#of#people#down#in#more#than#
one#country#if#I#did#not#work#as#hard#as#I#do.#Yet#I#am#
a#father#and#husband.#The#most#impactful#pressure#
by#far#is#the#conflict#of#balancing#priorities#of#duty#
which#may#not#be#fully#understood#or#appreciated#by#
at#least#one#side#of#that#equation#
Mid!career!international!worker!
!
One!organisation!involved!in!our!research!uses!their!
technology!platforms!to!evaluate!activity!levels.!
When!they!installed!the!employee!IT!tracking!system,!
rather!than!checking!that!people!are!working!
adequate!hours,!it!quickly!became!clear!that!the!
monitoring!system!was!of!more!use!in!checking!that!
people!weren’t!working!too!many!hours.!!The!system!
helps!the!organisation!to!evaluate!‘crunch!times’!in!
workloads!and!flag!when!people!are!working!too!
much!and!when!there!is!little!capacity!in!the!
operation.!!Having!such!systems!in!place!can!help!
better!manage!the!wellbeing!of!mobile!and!remote!
workers.!
!
Time!for!collaboration!!
There!is!limited!research!around!the!factors!that!
affect!wellbeing!of!remote!or!mobile!workers.!
However,!what!has!been!found!is!that!remote!
workers!can!experience!social/professional!isolation,!
a!tendency!to!work!longer!hours,!feel!frustration!of!
having!unclear!roles!and!receiving!limited!feedback!
from!peers!and!line!managers38.!All!of!which!limit!
productivity.!
!
“Banter#with#colleagues#is#top#because#during#actual#
working#periods#as#a#barrister#you#are#alone#in#the#
sense#that#you#conduct#a#hearing#as#you#see#fit,#as#a#
sole#representative#who#has#to#take#all#the#decisions#
yourself.#That#is#satisfying#but#it#is#important#to#be#
able#to#talk#to#people#about#it#later.”!
Professional!Services!worker!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!38!British!Occupational!Health!Research!Foundation!
!
!
Autonomous!culture!at!MosesCameronWilliams!
!
MosesCameronWilliams!(MCW)!is!a!growing!
architectural!practice!based!in!Cambridge!which!is!a!
spin!off!from!the!global!RMJM!firm.!!The!organisation!
was!founded!in!2011!and!has!grown!rapidly!to!26!staff.!!
They!work!with!a!variety!of!organisations,!many!within!
the!Education!sector,!to!develop!buildings!with!a!
people!centred!environment!so!enabling!social!contact,!
good!ergonomics!and!healthy!work!space.!!!
!!
MCW!is!fundamentally!driven!by!creating!a!positive,!
productive!culture!where!being!both!professional!and!
family!friendly!are!core!values.!!Wellbeing!is!a!key!
differentiator!in!this!people!focused!culture.!!
They!seek!to!ensure!people!can!work!flexibly.!!To!make!
this!work,!they!are!outcome!focused!and!ensure!
people!are!clear!about!their!responsibilities!and!what!
they!are!expected!to!deliver.!They!take!care!to!note!
when!people!have!worked!too!many!hours.!!There!is!
mutual!trust!in!people!taking!the!time!back!when!it!is!
reasonable!in!the!delivery!schedule.!!!
!
They!have!family!friendly!policies!such!as!cycle!to!work,!
childcare!vouchers!etc.!but!also!people!are!encouraged!
to!have!lunch!together,!there!is!often!music!in!the!
office!and!someone!brings!their!dog!to!the!office.!!They!
often!break!for!cake,!coffee!and!conversation.!!They!
have!an!annual!garden!party!for!all!the!family.!!Leaders!
drive!this!culture!and!this!is!seen!to!be!central!factor!in!
making!the!culture!work.!!People!feel!they!have!
permission!to!ask!for!new!furniture!–!leaders!are!
approachable!and!listen!to!requests.!
!
!!
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1515!
!
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15!
!
!
So,!flexible!and!remote!working!requires!active!
management!to!ensure!that!people!attend!the!office!
to!collaborate!and!communicate!to!meet!business!
needs.!If!members!of!the!team!are!not!always!
present,!people!actively!use!time!in!the!workplace!for!
collaboration!and!connection.!!If!there!is!a!lack!of!
time!or!tools!to!collaborate,!it!can!affect!our!sense!of!
resilience.!!As!only!40%!of!UK!workers!are!able!to!
choose!a!suitable!place!to!work!in!the!office!for!the!
task!at!hand39,!managers!can!play!a!key!role!in!
evaluating!the!best!work!environment!for!their!team.!!
!
Managers!might!want!to!consider!the!team’s!needs!
for!shared!workplace!such!as!avoiding!interruptions!
from!others,!privacy,!access!to!realItime!information,!
or!creative,!informal!spaces.!!The!facilities!that!people!
have!to!function!effectively!when!they!are!not!in!the!
office!are!also!factors!for!managers!to!address.!!The!
ergonomics!and!health!effects!of!home!office!setups!
or!working!‘from!the!car’!is!likely!to!feature!in!future!
research!as!this!becomes!a!more!common!feature!of!
workplaces.!!One!often!overlooked!detail!is!the!
importance!of!making!remote!workers!feel!welcomed!
by!the!organisation!as!an!employee!rather!than!as!a!
visitor!when!they!do!pop!into!the!main!workplace.!!!
!
Communications!tools,!online!assessments!and!
flexible!use!of!office!space!all!help!remote!workers!to!
feel!more!engaged!with!their!employer.!!One!
organisation!in!our!study!make!sure!there!is!a!clearly!
defined!schedule!of!contact!and!that!colleagues!are!
using!tools!of!communication!to!keep!the!social!
element!of!their!work!alive!I!video!links,!instant!
messaging,!faceItoIface!meetings!and!events.!!
!
!
!
Having#a#positive#relationship#with#your#manager#
and#colleagues#is#extremely#important#as#you#spend#
most#of#your#day#with#these#people.#Going#for#tea#
breaks#together#helps#this.#I#also#love#going#for#a#
walk#around#the#Science#Park#at#lunch.#
Early!career,!Not!for!Profit!sector!worker! !
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!39!Steelcase!(2014).!Balancing!‘we’!and!‘me’.!Harvard!Business!
Review,!October!edition.!
Collaboration!time!in!Cambridge!
!
Nearly!all!respondents!felt!they!had!some!form!of!
social!benefit!from!their!work!environment!–!banter!
with!colleagues!(84%),!informal!meeting!space!(72%),!
organisationIwide!tea!and!coffee!breaks!(43%),!or!a!
café/social!space!nearby!(77%).!
!
84%!find!that!having!banter!with!colleagues!actively!
contributes!to!their!wellbeing.!!In!fact,!this!was!voted!
as!having!the!most!significant!contribution!out!of!a!
range!of!factors!including!having!a!café!or!social!
space!onsite!or!nearby!(77%!felt!they!have!this).!
!!!
Those!who!had!access!to!collaborative!or!social!space!
of!some!form!were!20%!more!likely!to!feel!they!could!
be!productive,!10%!more!likely!to!feel!passionate!
about!the!work!they!do!and!30%!more!likely!to!
recommend!the!organisation!as!an!employer.!!!!!!!!
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1616!
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16!
4. Boosting!wellbeing!through!environmental!design!
!
Space!can!be!at!a!premium!in!many!organisations.!
Yet,!there!are!smart!ways!to!use!the!space!to!enable!
people!to!work!together!effectively.!!!In!this!section,!
we!look!at!five!features!of!environmental!design:!!
basic!safety,!desking,!social!spaces,!and!the!range!of!
spaces;!all!essential!considerations!for!those!
managing!facilities!and!buildings!to!maintain!
wellbeing!amongst!workers.!!!
!
Basic!safety!!
Firstly,!safety!controls!and!limiting!people’s!exposure!
to!dangers!are!clearly!two!elements!of!maintaining!
wellbeing!in!many!organisations!–!especially!for!those!
involved!in!manufacturing!or!scientific!activities.!!
Employers’!legal!requirements!for!workplace!
management!include40:!
!
• Welfare!provisions!such!as!drinking!water,!toilets,!
hand!basins!with!soap!and!towels,!somewhere!to!
store!clothes!and!a!desk!or!somewhere!to!rest!
• Health!provisions!such!as!fresh,!clean!air!from!
open!windows!or!air!conditioning;!a!minimum!
temperature!of!16°C;!suitable!lighting!for!the!task!
at!hand;!11!cubic!metres!per!employee!of!space!
plus!clean!workplaces!with!bins!and!a!cleaner!
• Safety!provisions!such!as!clear!exit!routes,!
properly!serviced!and!maintained!work!
equipment!or!machinery;!and!any!glass!areas!
that!could!be!hazardous!are!protected!or!made!
of!safety!materials.!
!
An!employer’s!responsibilities!extend!to!home!
workers!too.!!Here,!employers!should!look!at!practical!
issues!such!as!equipment,!workstation!set!up,!fire!
safety,!trip!hazards,!noise!and!distractions.!!However,!
the!potential!for!stress!and!loneliness!are!also!
important!risk!considerations!for!remote!worker!
wellbeing.!!
!
!
“Without#the#basic#H&S#essentials#I'd#be#unable#to#
aim#for#the#targetOdriven#goals#I'm#allocated;#we#
spend#over#90%#of#our#time#on#key#performance#
indicators,#which#puts#pressure#on#us#all#to#avoid#
falling#behind.”#
Scientific!sector!worker!
!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!40!Institution!of!Occupational!Safety!and!Health!
!
!
Ensuring!safety!at!Xaar!
!
Xaar!is!a!world!leader!in!the!development!of!digital!
inkjet!technology!and!an!awardIwinning!
manufacturer!of!piezoelectric!dropIonIdemand!
industrial!inkjet!printheads.!!Within!their!
development!and!manufacturing!environments,!
safety!is!a!core!element!of!ensuring!wellbeing!in!their!
workplace!and!is!part!of!their!core!values.!
They!have!been!approached!by!the!Health!and!Safety!
Executive!to!advise!other!businesses!on!their!safety!
activities.!
!
Key!to!their!approach!is!a!toolkit!that!is!provided!to!
managers!around!health!and!safety.!!This!covers!legal!
requirements,!company!procedures!and!other!
welfare!processes!as!you!might!expect.!!However,!
they!also!include!things!like!stress!awareness,!mental!
health,!the!value!of!an!open!culture!in!ensuring!
people!are!not!blamed!for!mistakes!but!instead!there!
is!a!process!for!continuous!improvement.!!
!
Wellbeing!is!visibly!reinforced!around!the!buildings!
with!signs!suitably!placed!where!there!is!people!flow!
through!the!physical!layout.!They!are!currently!
developing!an!eIlearning!to!enable!new!recruits!to!
learn!as!well!as!reinforce!the!learning!amongst!other!
workers.!!Keeping!issues!front!of!mind!is!seen!to!be!
part!of!their!success.!Senior!managers!see!key!
performance!indicators!around!accidents!and!!
incidents.!Issues!are!expected!to!be!addressed!in!24!
hours!–!either!resolved!or!with!a!plan!of!action!for!
more!complex!issues.!!
!
!!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
1717!
!
!
17!
!
!
!
“Sports#and#socials#aspects#are#excellent#in#this#
organisation.#I'm#involved#in#many#and#this#is#an#
excellent#opportunity#to#chat#with#people#outside#of#
work#and#keep#fit.”#
Early!career,!Scientific!sector!worker!
!
WarmHdesking!
Legally,!each!UK!office!worker!should!have!a!
minimum!of!11!cubic!metres!of!workspace.!!When!
organisations!recruit!more!workers,!people!can!
experience!‘office!sweating’!–!i.e.!more!people!being!
crowded!into!the!office!at!the!expense!of!individual!
workspace,!meeting!rooms!or!communal!areas.!!
!
To!address!‘office!sweating’,!many!organisations!have!
shifted!to!hotIdesking!for!at!least!some!workers!to!
alleviate!overcrowding!and!to!better!utilise!available!
space.!However,!research!is!showing!that!hotIdesking!
workers!can!feel!rootless,!insecure!and!less!
productive41!whilst!those!with!some!control!over!
their!space!have!been!found!to!have!lower!levels!of!
emotional!exhaustion42.!!!
!
Organisations!that!move!to!a!hotIdesking!
environment!can!face!maverick!behaviours!from!
some!workers!who!start!to!leave!out!their!pot!plants,!
photos!and!papers!to!‘lay!claim’!to!some!space!–!a!so!
called!‘warm!desk’.!!Whilst!some!people!have!a!
tolerance!for!a!strong!corporate!brand!or!a!consistent!
look!throughout!the!workplace,!others!react!to!the!
uniformity!that!such!an!environment!generates!as!it!
reduces!their!sense!of!personal!control.!!!
!
So!if!your!organisation!has!a!hotIdesking!
environment,!or!you!are!considering!moving!to!one,!
you!may!want!to!ponder!on!what!local!controls!you!
can!offer!people!to!personalise!and!‘warm’!their!
shared!space.!!Involving!people!in!choosing!the!
colour,!decoration,!the!art!work,!furniture!or!plants!in!
their!work!area!sends!a!clear!message!that!this!is!
their!shared!space!and!returns!some!sense!of!control!
that!can!otherwise!be!lost!by!the!necessarily!sparse!
hotIdesks.!!!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!41!BBC!News!20!July!2006.!Shrinking!Office!syndrome.!!
42!Gregory!L.A.,!Fried!Y.!&!Slowik,!L.H.!!“My!space”:!A!moderated!
mediation!model!of!the!effect!of!architectural!and!experienced!
privacy!and!workspace!personalization!on!emotional!exhaustion!at!
work.!%Journal%of%Environmental%Psychology.%!2013;!36:144I152!
Physical!environment!in!Cambridge!
!
Many!respondents!felt!that!their!employer!was!doing!
well!around!designing!individual!work!stations!–!with!
79%!feel!comfortable!at!their!specific!workstation.!!
Slightly!fewer!(69%)!felt!that!their!wider!environment!
was!healthy.!!People!felt!their!wellbeing!is!affected!
when!there!is!poor!air!quality,!light!and!other!
aesthetics!(46%),!poor!office!furniture!(33%)!or!a!lack!
of!green!plants!or!nature!(31%).!
!
The!majority!of!respondents!reported!having!access!
to!plants!in!their!office!(71%),!a!view!of!nature!(56%)!
art!work!(68%)!or!natural!lighting!(78%).!Those!who!
did!not!have!access!to!these!things!were!less!likely!to!
feel!they!had!been!able!to!maintain!their!wellbeing!
(51%!vs!71%!otherwise);!were!less!productive!(64%!vs!
90%!otherwise),!and!were!more!likely!to!work!when!
they!were!not!well!(95%!vs!75%!otherwise).!!Lack!of!
access!to!the!healthy!environment!also!had!an!impact!
on!their!perception!of!their!employer!–!they!were!
less!proud!to!work!for!them!(59%!vs!86%!otherwise)!
and!were!less!likely!to!recommend!them!as!an!
employer!to!others!(51%!vs!77%!otherwise).!!
!
Sports!facilities!also!contributed!to!people’s!sense!of!
wellbeing!including!59%!having!onsite!facilities!such!
as!a!gym,!bike!racks!or!showers!for!those!cycling!to!
work;!43%!have!corporate!sports!clubs!such!as!
football!or!cricket;!43%!have!organised!tea!or!lunch!
breaks.!!A!smaller!number!had!access!to!yoga,!Tai!Chi!
or!other!wellbeing!workshops!(12%)!–!if!you’re!
looking!for!something!unusual!for!your!workforce,!
many!this!is!something!to!consider!introducing?!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
1818!
!
!
18!
Social!space!!
Generation!Y43!have!been!seen!to!set!the!trend!for!
bringing!more!social!spaces!into!the!workplace44!as!
this!generation!has!blurred!the!lines!between!work!
time!and!life!outside.!!To!be!attractive!to!this!
generation,!many!employers!have!sought!to!emulate!
the!success!of!those!well!known!‘cool’!Gen!Y!
employers!like!Google,!Innocent!Drinks!or!LEGO!by!
replicating!some!of!their!social!spaces.!!They!have!
famously!allocated!space!for!slides,!table!tennis,!pool!
tables!and!even!have!shops!and!laundrettes!onsite.!!
!
How!can!these!businesses!justify!these!‘frivolous’!
facilities!when!the!cost!of!office!space!is!at!such!a!
premium?!They!have!found!that!the!benefits!of!
creating!fun!nonIworking!spaces!meant!that!workers!
would!want!to!be!in!the!office!and!at!times!when!they!
were!likely!to!feel!their!most!productive!and!
creative45.!They!recognise!that!our!creative!
inspirations!don’t!necessarily!come!between!9am!to!
5pm!whilst!staring!at!a!spreadsheet46!and!so!
encouraging!people!to!be!onsite!helps!capture!them!
at!their!creative!‘peak’!performance.!
!
Although!Generation!Y!have!been!core!to!the!trend!
for!nonIwork!office!space,!those!from!all!generations!
are!starting!to!adapt!and!benefit!from!this!changing!
environment!at!their!workplace.!!Our!research!has!
found!that!older!generations!are!less!likely!than!
younger!colleagues!to!have!access!to!social!space!and!
other!facilities!that!contribute!to!their!wellbeing.!!As!
there!is!an!increasing!number!of!people!working!
beyond!65!who!will!have!a!range!of!health!needs,!it!is!
probable!that!employers!will!find!that!they!need!to!
consider!more!the!wellbeing!needs!of!these!older!
workers.!
!
!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!43!This!cohort!of!workers!in!the!UK!typically!joined!the!workplace!
from!around!1998!onwards.!44!Drewery,!K.,!Riley,!A.!&!Staff,!H.!(2009).!Gen!Up:!How!the!Four!
Generations!Work.!CIPD.!45!Perks!for!employees!and!how!Google!changed!the!way!we!work.!
The!Independent,!20!Sept!2013!!46!Ask!the!Entrepreneurs:!The!Most!Productive!Hours!of!the!Day.!
www.lifehack.com!
Generational!differences!
!
There!are!different!views!between!generations!within!
Cambridge.!!!
!
Generation!Y!(those!between!21!and!35!years!old)!
This!group!is!the!least!likely!group!to!feel!that!they!
have!been!able!to!maintain!a!feeling!of!wellbeing!
over!the!last!12!months.!They!are!more!likely!to!be!
affected!by!a!poor!physical!environment!in!which!to!
work!and!noted!that!a!lack!of!personal!‘wealth’!to!
treat!themselves!outside!work!affected!their!general!
wellbeing.!!They!are!more!likely!than!others!to!work!
when!they!are!not!well.!They!are!also!more!likely!to!
have!a!manager!that!cares!about!their!wellbeing.!
!
Generation!X!(those!between!36!and!50!years)!
This!group!is!the!most!likely!to!feel!passionate!about!
their!work!and!intend!to!stay!with!their!employer.!!
However,!this!group!is!more!likely!to!have!heavy!
demands!on!their!time!with!the!need!to!travel!long!
distances!on!business,!they!can’t!tune!out!of!work,!or!
experience!conflicting!priorities!that!affect!their!
wellbeing.!!!Few!in!this!group!feel!they!have!time!to!
exercise!whilst!at!work.!!
!
Baby!Boomers!(those!between!51!and!65!years)!
Fewer!people!in!this!group!than!other!generations!
feel!they!have!access!to!a!range!of!wellbeing!facilities!
including!art!work!on!walls,!cafés,!fruit!baskets,!
natural!daylight,!gyms,!bike!racks,!showers!or!plants!
in!the!office.!!As!a!result,!this!group!is!significantly!
around!25%!less!likely!to!feel!that!their!employer!is!
actively!working!to!ensure!their!wellbeing.!!!
!
!
!
! ! !
1919!
!
!
19!
An!ecosystem!of!spaces!
Supermarkets!and!other!retail!businesses!invest!
heavily!in!mapping!how!people!behave!and!use!their!
retail!floor!space!to!ensure!people!are!exposed!to!a!
range!of!tempting!promotions.!!Applying!some!of!this!
thinking!to!a!business!context!has!shown!that!the!
office!layout!affects!how!workers!behave!and!interact!
with!each!other47.!!
!
By!creating!an!ecosystem!of!spaces,!workers!have!
greater!choice!of!the!sensory!stimulation!around!
them.!!Informal,!nonIconstricting!environment!with!a!
homeIlike!feel!helps!people!to!be!creative,!connect!
and!try!new!ideas!on!each!other.!!!Private!rooms!or!
less!visible!spaces!without!distractions!or!interference!
empowers!people!to!work!more!productively!alone!or!
together!with!others.!!!
!
How!those!spaces!are!decorated!also!matters.!Some!
spaces!might!encourage!calmness!through!the!softer!
materials,!textures,!colours,!lighting,!plants!and!
views.!In!addition!to!their!ability!to!improve!air!
quality48,!plants!can!aesthetically!make!the!sharp!
spaces!of!an!office!feel!more!homeIlike.!They!are!also!
often!used!to!divide!space!or!cordon!off!trip!hazards!
rather!than!having!screens!or!‘danger’!signs.!!
!
!
#“Writing#software#isn't#just#about#coding#(that's#
merely#a#tool),#it's#far#more#about#problem#solving#
and#communication#with#the#client#and#the#team.#
Having#an#energised#team#is#very#important,#being#in#
an#inspiring#environment#effects#the#way#the#team#
thinks#so#getting#that#feeling#right#is#key.#When#it#
does#get#down#to#coding#it#requires#a#lot#of#thought#
and#concentration#and#being#efficient.#Having#the#
workspace#setup#to#be#optimal#for#the#individual#is#
very#beneficial.#When#it#comes#to#collaboration,#
taking#the#team#away#from#the#desk#into#an#
inspiring#environment#helps#a#great#deal#and#the#
simplest#of#things#like#a#MASSIVE#white#board#are#
very#effective#tools#as#are#quite#high#quality#displays#
and#technology#that#assists#and#doesn't#get#in#the#
way.”##
Mid!career,!Technology!sector!worker!
!
!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!47!Drewery,!K.!&!Davies,!W.!(2001)!Social!network!mapping.!The!
Work!Foundation.!48!Smith,!A.!&!Pitt,!M.!(2009).!Sustainable!workplaces:!improving!
staff!health!and!wellIbeing!using!plants.!Journal%of%Corporate%Real%Estate,!Volume!11(1).!
!
!
The!ecosystem!of!spaces!at!Spotify!
!
Spotify!is!the!commercial!music!streaming!service!
which!provides!digital!rights!management–restricted!
content!from!record!labels.!Spotify’s!global!contact!
centre!is!based!in!Cambridge.!!Here,!the!c150!strong!
team!speak!16!languages!and!is!the!customer!service!
hub!for!the!whole!company.!The!office!is!open!from!
6am!to!10pm!and!people!work!on!four!different!shift!
patterns.!!
!!
Spotify!aims!to!create!a!fun!working!environment!
where!people!also!know!they!have!a!job!to!do.!!They!
want!to!ensure!the!office!is!a!welcoming!and!attractive!
environment!to!work!in!to!attract!and!retain!
productive!workers.!!Each!Spotify!office!has!a!budget!
for!personalisation!by!the!local!team.!!In!Cambridge!
there!was!a!unanimous!vote!for!plants!in!the!office.!!
Managers!(Team!Coaches)!regularly!ask!people!how!
they!want!to!use!the!space!and!what!they!want!to!see!
in!the!office.!!
!
In!the!main!office,!the!majority!of!the!team!‘hot!desk’.!!
In!addition!to!the!main!office,!there!is!a!range!of!
meeting!spaces!designed!for!team!working,!casual!
meetings!or!social!time.!Top!of!the!list!of!requests!for!
how!to!personalise!the!office!space!was!to!have!large!
plants!around!the!office!and!employees!have!noted!
improved!air!in!the!office.!!Break!rooms!are!designed!
to!be!homely!with!sofas!and!rugs.!They!also!use!the!
talents!of!current!employees!to!help!decorate.!For!
example,!one!of!the!team!is!trained!as!a!graphic!
designer!and!created!some!wall!art.!!
!
Since!personalising!the!office!(within!corporate!brand!
guidelines)!and!adding!plants,!they!have!seen!a!20I
30%!drop!in!absence.!!The!various!elements!of!office!
design!are!aimed!at!limiting!a!stark!‘corporate!feel’!in!
the!office!building.!The!employee!turnover!at!Spotify!
in!Cambridge!is!just!10%!a!year!I!a!rate!well!below!
what!is!typical!for!contact!centres.!!
!
!
!
! ! !
2020!
!
!
20!
!
Feature:!!Plant!wellbeing!in!your!office!and!watch!your!profits!grow!…
!
Most!people!are!aware!that!plants!absorb!carbon!
dioxide!and!release!oxygen,!but!few!realize!the!
extraordinary!ability!of!plants!to!filter!the!air!and!
eliminate!toxins.!!Much!research!has!shown!10%!
reduced!absenteeism!and!15%!increased!
productivity49.!
!
In!1989!NASA!carried!out!a!Clean!Air!Study!
concentrating!on!the!air!purification!capacities!of!
indoor!plants,!they!found!that!plants!absorb!a!long!
list!of!volatile!organic!compounds!(VOCs).!VOCs!are!
airborne!toxins!found!in!all!offices!as!they!originate!
from!everyday!domestic!items!for!example;!Benzene!
is!found!in!plastics,!fabrics,!pesticides!and!cigarette!
smoke!and!Formaldehyde!which!is!found!in!some!
plastics,!fabrics,!pesticides!and!cigarette!smoke.!
These!VOC’s!and!other!indoor!air!pollutants!have!
been!associated!with!many!acute!conditions!including!
asthma!and!nausea!;!common!symptoms!of!‘Sick!
Building!Syndrome’.!!
!
In!more!severe!cases!the!VOC’s!have!been!connected!
with!chronic!diseases!such!as!cancer!and!respiratory!
diseases.!!Phytoremediation!is!the!process!by!which!
plants!remove!these!harmful!compounds!from!the!
air.!Indoor!plants!remove!pollutants!from!the!air!by!
absorbing!these!gases!through!their!leaves!and!roots.!
!
A!Norwegian!study!provides!some!of!the!best!
evidence!for!the!health!benefits!of!plants.!The!
research!team!studied!60!office!workers!whom!each!
experienced!a!plant!and!no!plant!condition!during!the!
spring!months.!In!the!first!year!of!the!study,!half!of!
the!subjects!had!a!planter!installed!on!their!
windowsill!and!a!large!floor!plant!near!their!desks,!
while!the!other!subjects!experienced!their!standard!
office!conditions!without!plants.!In!the!second!year!of!
the!study,!the!conditions!were!reversed!and!the!
plants!were!moved!to!the!workspaces!of!the!noI
plants!group.!!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!49!The!Guardian!(2014).!Plants!in!offices!increase!happiness!and!
productivity.!1!Sept!2014.!
!
!
The!results!showed:!
• Neuropsychological!symptoms!were!reduced!
by!23%!when!plants!were!present.!Fatigue!
reduced!the!most!–!by!30%!
• Mucous!membrane!symptoms!were!reduced!
by!24%!overall!when!plants!were!present.!
Cough!decreased!by!37%!and!dry!throat!by!
25%!
• Dry!or!flushed!skin!was!reduced!by!23%!with!
plants!in!the!workspace!
!
The!researchers!suggest!that!health!improvements!
were!likely!due!to!two!mechanisms!:!improved!air!
quality!and!the!psychological!value!of!being!in!a!more!
pleasing!environment.!As!part!of!the!photosynthetic!
and!respiratory!process!plants!release!moisture!
vapour!(approximately!97%!of!the!water!they!take!in!
is!released!in!this!manner).!By!placing!several!plants!
together!you!can!increase!the!humidity!of!a!room!
thereby!creating!a!microclimate!(which!could!
influence!mucous!membrane!systems)!as!well!as!
cleansing!the!chemicals!in!the!air.!!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
2121!
!
!
21!
!
5. Embedding!wellbeing!practices!in!your!organisational!culture!
!
Employee!relations!and!organisational!culture!have!
an!impact!on!worker!wellbeing!–!in!particular!what!
patterns!of!behaviour!are!deemed!to!be!acceptable.!!!
In!this!section,!we!focus!specifically!on!how!
employers!can!use!physical!spaces!for!internal!
communications!and!branding!to!progressively!build!a!
culture!of!belonging,!trust!and!wellbeing.!!
!
Internal!communications!
In!any!job,!a!lack!of!information!can!clearly!cause!
uncertainty,!ambiguity,!errors!and!stop!a!worker!from!
performing!productively.!!Poor!communication!can!
lead!people!to!feel!distrusted!and!disengaged!from!
their!workplace50.!!Direct!communication!from!senior!
managers!to!front!line!workers!that!avoids!delay!from!
middle!management!cascading!has!been!found!to!
benefit!people’s!trust!and!wellbeing.!!
!
So!how!can!the!physical!workplace!contribute!to!
improved!communication?!!On!the!one!hand,!many!
organisations!are!moving!to!open!plan!environments!
to!encourage!open!communication!and!creativity,!
yet,!office!walls!are!an!asset!for!communication.!They!
can!be!used!for!digital!displays!that!share!
organisational!news,!real!time!information,!promote!
client!stories,!products,!new!staff,!the!brand,!
organisational!values!etc.!!Clearly,!the!type!of!
information!shared!through!these!routes!should!be!
carefully!considered!during!organisational!change!
where!there!is!the!potentially!more!sensitivity!to!
what!messages!are!being!shared.!
!
One!study!found!that!large!employers!tended!to!have!
workers!with!better!corporate!information!than!
smaller!employers!as!they!used!the!walls!to!
communicate!things!like!corporate!objectives.!!They!
found!35%!of!executives!from!smaller!companies!(of!
up!to!49!employees)!said!their!employees!were!not!
aware!of!their!firm’s!overall!objectives!compared!with!
just!9%!of!executives!at!larger!organisations!(with!
more!than!1000!workers)51.!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!50!IABC!Research!Foundation!and!Buck!Consultants!Employee!
Engagement!Survey!(2011).!!International!Association!of!Business!
Communicators!51!Robert!Half!Management!Resources!
!
Organisations!may!also!use!the!physical!walls!as!
collaborative!workspaces!such!as!using!boards!for!
project!communications,!adverts!and!notices!
between!workers.!!Having!access!to!
videoconferencing!can!allow!remote!participants!to!
see!content!in!the!room!as!well!as!to!contribute!to!
group!discussions.!!
!
People!who!are!mobile!or!remote!workers!will!want!
to!feel!part!of!the!organisation!when!they!do!come!
into!the!office!so!some!employers!are!considering!
how!to!brand!and!signpost!the!workplace!in!similar!
ways!to!the!online!interface!that!these!workers!
experience!dayItoIday.!Technology!that!displays!realI
time!information!can!benefit!those!physically!in!the!
office!as!well!as!for!those!outside!the!office!walls.!
Communications!in!Cambridge!
When!there!is!poor!communication!within!the!
organisation,!57%!of!respondents!said!that!their!
wellbeing!is!affected.!!This!group!of!workers!is!less!
likely!to!feel!that!they!have!access!to!technology!that!
meets!their!needs!–!suggesting!that!people!are!aware!
of!gaps!between!the!technology!available!and!the!
impact!that!out!of!date!technology!can!have!on!
communication.!!As!a!result,!the!people!who!feel!poor!
communication!affects!them!are!12%!less!likely!to!feel!
engaged!at!work.!!!
!
!
!
! ! !
2222!
!
!
22!
!
!
Organisational!brand!!
In!addition!to!the!space!being!used!to!communicate!
what!the!organisation!wants!to!say,!it!can!also!be!an!
opportunity!to!motivate!workers.!!People!do!take!
cues!from!the!physical!environment!about!what!the!
organisation!values!and!how!it!invests.!For!example,!
hierarchical!organisations!traditionally!used!office!
size,!thickness!of!the!carpet!or!the!size/newness!of!
the!computer!on!the!desk!to!communicate!the!worth!
of!certain!workers.!!!
!
People!want!to!connect!their!personal!values!to!the!
brand!values!of!the!organisation!to!gain!a!feeling!of!
belonging52.!!!Belonging!helps!people!to!see!how!they!
contribute!to!organisational!goals!and!what!impact!
they!have.!!When!people!believe!in!the!same!thing!
and!work!towards!specific!goals,!it!creates!a!sense!of!
harmony.!!How!we!spend!our!time,!doing!the!right!
things!in!right!way,!can!have!a!positive!impact!on!
wellbeing.!!
!
The!physical!design!of!the!building!–!the!colours,!the!
investment!in!facilities!such!as!plants!or!art!work,!the!
symbols!in!spaces!beyond!the!reception!desk!that!
reinforce!the!brand,!purpose,!history!and!culture!of!
the!company!–!these!things!all!reflect!what!matters!to!
the!organisation.!!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
#
#
“I#use#to#go#to#the#kitchen#for#a#short#break#because#
it#was#lit#and#colours#were#ok#(not#bad)#but#since#it#
was#refurbished#in#white/grey/black,#I#spend#as#little#
time#as#possible#there#or#eat#somewhere#else.##It#may#
be#a#modern#and#professional#design#but#it#is#really#
not#a#relaxing#place.”#
Early!career,!Professional!Services!
!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!52!Burmann,!C!!&!Zeplin,!S!(2005).!Building!brand!commitment:!A!
behavioural!approach!to!internal!brand!management.!!Journal!of!
Brand!Management.!Apr2005,!Vol.!12!Issue!4,!p279I300!
!
!
!
!
Feature:!The!psychology!of!colour!in!the!workplace!
!
Research!shows!that!colours!commonly!create!a!
particular!emotional!response!in!most!people53.!!!
• Red!–!is!a!physical!colour!and!encourages!people!
to!work!faster!but!can!reduce!analytical!ability!or!
stay!focused!on!a!task!
• Orange!–!associated!with!value!and!fun;!
however,!it!can!discourage!intellectual!thought!
• Yellow!–!is!an!emotional!colour!which!can!lift!
spirits!and!confidence,!however,!it!can!induce!
fear!in!some!people.!It’s!a!bit!marmite!–!people!
either!love!or!hate!yellow,!so!not!great!for!an!
open!plan!office!
• Green!–!is!a!colour!about!balance;!it!sparks!
creativity,!productivity!and!is!reassuringly!a!
reminder!of!nature!
• Blue!–!is!an!intellectual!colour!stimulating!clear!
thought,!though!popular,!it!can!appear!
unemotional!
• Purple!is!a!spiritual!colour!and!encourages!deep!
thought,!reflection!and!quality!!
• Pink!–!is!a!calming!colour!that!is!often!used!in!
places!that!encourage!people!to!relax!
• White!–!although!a!clean!colour,!white!can!make!
people!reflective!and!distracted!due!to!lack!of!
stimulation.!
• Grey!–!neutral!and!underIstimulating,!grey!can!
limit!confidence!and!possibly!be!depressing!for!
some!
• Black!–!communicates!clarity,!excellence,!
seriousness!but!can!appear!menacing!and!helps!
avoid!attention!
• Brown!–!a!warmer,!softer!version!of!black!that!
maintains!seriousness!but!also!embraces!nature!
and!has!connotations!of!being!solid,!reliable!and!
supportive!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!53!!See!more!at!www.colourIaffects.co.uk/research!
!
!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
2323!
!
!
23!
Building!trust!!
Organisations!with!higher!levels!of!trust!between!
colleagues!have!better!workforce!wellbeing54.!!
Employers!generally!build!trust!through!one!of!four!
routes!which!might!influence!how!the!physical!
environment!is!used!by!employers!to!communicate!
with!workers:!!ability,!transparency,!benevolence!and!
predictability55.!!These!four!routes!can!be!translated!
to!the!physical!environment!and!how!it!can!be!used!
to!reinforce!messages!that!encourage!trust.!!!
!
In!an!organisation!that!develops!trust!based!on!
ability,!people!relate!to!each!other!in!terms!of!their!
capability!and!skills.!!Professional!capability!is!
reinforced!as!a!way!to!trust!the!organisation!as!a!
customer!and!as!an!employee.!In!such!an!
organisation,!the!physical!environment!can!be!used!
to!communicate!the!competence!of!the!organisation!
and!individuals!within!it.!Such!an!organisation!may!
promote!images!of!key!people,!its!history!or!awards!it!
has!received.!!Senior!managers!sharing!intentions!
directly!with!workers!during!organisational!change!is!
especially!beneficial!as!employees!are!more!likely!to!
see!them!as!competent!and!trustworthy!(i.e.!doing!
what!they!say!they!are!going!to!do)56.!
!
The!second!route!to!developing!trust!is!through!
transparent!communications.!!Such!organisations!
tend!to!emphasise!integrity,!openness!and!
accountability.!!In!terms!of!using!the!physical!
environment,!such!organisations!might!display!real!
time!performance!information,!process!maps,!and!
perhaps!photos!of!the!people!‘to!go!to’!within!the!
organisation.!!The!working!environment!can!be!used!
to!reinforce!transparency!so!people!can!see,!be!seen,!
and!develop!trust!in!the!workplace!community.!!!
!
The!third!route!to!trust!is!through!creating!
predictability.!!People!in!these!organisations!may!
have!a!diverse!range!of!roles!but!expected!to!behave!
in!a!common!way.!!Such!organisations!like!to!ensure!
that!customers!and!employees!have!a!consistent!
experience!to!reinforce!people’s!trust!in!what!they!
can!expect.!!Such!organisations!will!use!their!physical!
environment!to!really!focus!on!communicating!a!
common!brand,!language!and!style.!!!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!54!Jacobs,!S.!(2013)!Trust:!The!key!to!building!wellbeing!and!
performance!in!the!workplace.!Unum:!A!Working!Families!
publication.!55!HopeIHaiiey,!V.!(2014).!Cultivating!Trustworthy!leaders.!CIPD!!
56!Procter,!T.!&!Doukakis,!I.!(2003).!Change!management:!the!role!
of!internal!communications.%Corporate%Communications,%an%international%Journal,!8(4)268I277.!
!
The!fourth!route!is!benevolence.!!These!organisations!
focus!on!satisfaction!and!care!of!people’s!best!
interests.!Such!an!organisation!may!use!their!physical!
environment!to!promote!the!impact!of!their!work!on!
their!customers!or!through!the!charitable!activities!of!
their!workers.!For!example,!they!may!display!pictures!
of!workers!involved!in!the!company!sports!clubs!or!
team!charity!events.!
!
“If#you#are#doing#a#job#you#hate#in#a#company#that#
apparently#hates#you,#brightly#coloured#sofas#and#
'inspirational#quote'#wall#murals#will#make#you#hate#
it#even#more.”#
Mid!career,!Pharmaceutical!sector!worker!
!
Building!trust!in!Cambridge!
Two!thirds!(66%)!of!survey!respondents!felt!that!people!
trust!each!other!in!their!organisation.!!Several!
Cambridge!companies!involved!in!our!research!were!
found!to!be!using!their!physical!environment!to!
reinforce!the!messages!around!trust!through!one!of!the!
four!key!routes:!
!
Ability!–!the!RSC!has!a!theme!running!through!their!
physical!space!around!their!core!scientific!activities.!
The!RSC!also!reinforces!its!competence!and!knowledge!
through!the!clever!naming!of!rooms!and!wall!art!and!
even!includes!a!clock!in!the!reception!that!displayed!
scientific!formulae!rather!than!numbers.!
!
Transparency!–!at!Xaar,!much!of!the!wall!space!is!used!
to!communicate!health!and!safety!processes!–!such!an!
approach!is!more!common!in!organisations!where!
safety!concerns!are!paramount.!!The!physical!layout!in!
the!office!is!also!focused!on!maintaining!transparent!
safety!procedures!with!clearly!labelled!restricted!
spaces.!
!
Predictability!–!Spotify’s!global!offices!are!all!expected!
to!have!a!similar!feel,!use!corporate!brand!colours!on!
the!walls!and!to!emphasise!social!elements.!Each!office!
adapts!the!overall!corporate!brand!to!reflect!the!
interests!of!the!local!workforce;!however,!the!
underlying!brand!is!still!clearly!present!to!that!workers!
visiting!from!other!offices!will!certainly!feel!they!are!
still!working!for!the!same!organisation.!
!
Benevolence!–!at!MCW,!the!feel!of!the!office!has!been!
designed!to!reinforce!lifestyle!choices,!with!green!
carpets!and!open!space.!The!workers!have!developed!
the!space!to!reinforce!the!sense!that!people’s!best!
interests!are!central!to!how!the!organisation!works.!
People!are!encouraged!to!bring!their!bikes.!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
2424!
!
!
24!
!
!
Building!trust!at!the!Royal!Society!of!Chemistry!
!
The!Royal!Society!of!Chemistry!(RSC)!is!the!world’s!
leading!chemistry!community!with!the!mission!of!
"advancing!excellence!the!chemical!sciences".!With!
approximately!500!employees!based!in!its!Cambridge!
Science!Park!office!and!a!growing!employee!
population!around!the!UK!and!internationally,!its!
activities!cover!publishing,!academia,!membership,!
events!and!conferences,!bringing!chemical!scientists!
together,!promoting!and!sharing!knowledge!and!
ideas.!!
The!RSC!recognised!that!this!growth!could!have!an!
impact!on!wellbeing.!!Investment!in!wellbeing!
activities!is!on!an!initiative!by!initiative!basis!and!
there!needs!to!be!a!business!case!for!each!
investment.!The!RSC!had!a!wellbeing!week!at!the!end!
of!2012!which!promoted!the!importance!of!wellbeing!
and!included!practical!things!like!promoting!the!cycle!
to!work!scheme,!healthy!eating,!communications!
around!the!importance!of!wellbeing,!15!min!health!
checks!and!access!to!flu!vouchers.!!Mental!wellbeing!
is!the!focus!of!their!next!wellbeing!week!in!2015,!
where!MIND!will!be!delivering!training!for!managers!
and!other!activities!will!help!all!of!their!employees!to!
review!their!own!mental!wellbeing.!!!
Wellbeing!of!employees!is!recognised!as!something!
that!is!crucial!to!business!success!and!needs!action!on!
an!ongoing!basis.!The!leadership!team!have!made!
real!efforts!over!the!last!few!years!to!empower!
employees!and!actively!make!time!to!talk!with!
employees.!Leaders!hold!drop!in!sessions!where!they!
are!based!in!the!break!out!rooms!or!in!the!restaurant!
and!people!can!pop!in!and!talk!about!things!over!a!
cup!of!tea.!Positive!impact!has!been!seen!in!the!
“leadership”!topic!in!the!annual!employee!survey!
which!has!seen!an!increase!of!22!per!cent!positivity!
since!2010.!!!!
The!RSC!have!refurbished!the!whole!office!over!the!
last!two!years.!They!have!introduced!better!office!
furniture,!a!scheme!of!plants!and!improved!the!
decoration.!!There!are!more!social!spaces!for!break!
out!meetings,!breaks!and!social!contact.!To!promote!
these!spaces!and!to!encourage!breaks,!in!the!2012!
wellbeing!week!they!used!a!“take!a!break!to!win!a!
break”!competition!where!people!had!to!come!to!a!
social!space!at!certain!times!throughout!the!day!
before!they!could!enter!a!prize!draw.!!!They!have!a!
subsidized!staff!restaurant!on!site!which!provides!
monthly!free!fruit!baskets!and!healthy!food!options.!
!
!
!
!
!
They!take!part!in!the!Science!Park!transport!survey!to!
gather!data!about!employee!travel!behaviours.!The!
office!has!shower!and!locker!facilities!to!support!
alternative!travel!and!these!facilities!have!been!
improved!recently.!The!Facilities!team!arrange!for!Dr!
Bike!to!visit!regularly.!!An!additional!business!benefit!
of!encouraging!the!cycle!to!work!and!other!travel!
options!is!because!the!car!park!is!increasingly!under!
pressure!as!the!workforce!grows.!!!
!
Recognition!is!considered!important!and!following!
some!focus!groups,!the!recognition!practices!have!
been!developed!to!increase!more!immediate!reward!
as!people!felt!previous!awards!were!not!instant!
enough!and!the!recipients!each!time!were!a!small!
pool.!!For!example,!any!employee!can!use!thank!you!
cards!that!are!freely!available!in!the!office!to!send!a!
note!of!thanks!to!anyone!else!in!the!organisation.!
Team!awards!mean!that!anyone!can!nominate!a!team!
to!receive!money!to!hold!a!celebration!event!and!
managers!can!recognise!individuals!by!putting!them!
forward!for!an!individual!award,!up!to!£500.!
!
All!employees!have!had!the!right!to!request!flexible!
working!since!the!start!of!2013!and!many!employees!
work!in!a!flexible!way!that!works!for!them!and!their!
life.!The!RSC!recognizes!that!trust!is!a!key!part!of!this!
way!of!working.!!The!IT!team!has!been!an!important!
asset!in!enabling!people!to!work!so!flexibly!and!
sourcing!systems!to!facilitate!this!working.!!They!
invest!significantly!in!ensuring!people!can!work!from!
different!locations!and!when!they!are!
mobile/travelling.!
!
The!RSC!sees!support!for!wellbeing!and!building!trust!
as!important!in!supporting!strong!business!
performance.!There!is!a!more!transparent!culture,!
leaders!are!more!accessible!and!there!is!an!emphasis!
on!building!trust!and!wellbeing!‘as!a!way!of!doing!
business’.!!Other!more!measurable!impacts!have!
been!a!decrease!in!the!absence!rate!from!6!days!at!
the!start!of!2013!to!c3.5!days!in!2014!with!very!few!
long!term!absences.!!!Turnover!has!also!decreased!to!
around!11%!in!2014.!!The!employee!survey!shows!
that!staff!are!happier!and!more!productive!with!
overall!engagement!at!87!per!cent.!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
! ! !
2525!
!
!
25!
6.!How!can!employers!ensure!they!link!wellbeing!to!performance?
!
Employers!want!to!ensure!that!the!wellbeing!
practices!they!are!implementing!positively!contribute!
to!individual!wellness!and!also!to!organisational!
performance.!!Without!both,!organisations!run!the!
risk!of!burnout!or!poor!business!investment.!!In!this!
report,!we!have!looked!at!some!of!the!factors!that!
influence!whether!people!have!a!sense!of!wellbeing!
at!work.!!In!this!section,!we!will!look!specifically!at!
how!employers!can!evaluate!workplace!wellbeing!to!
identify!what!action!to!take.!!!
!
Measuring!wellbeing!!
A!common!question!in!employee!surveys!that!links!
loosely!to!wellbeing!is!whether!people!are!satisfied!
with!their!workIlife!balance.!!On!a!simple!level,!this!
helps!to!identify!whether!the!organisation!may!have!a!
problem!around!wellbeing.!!Satisfaction!means!
people!are!happy!working!certain!hours,!even!if!these!
are!extra!to!those!contracted.!!However,!for!those!
dissatisfied,!there!can!be!a!host!of!reasons!why!they!
may!have!issues!with!their!workIlife!balance!–!often!
this!can!be!about!control!over!workload!or!doing!low!
value!work!rather!than!simply!an!issue!about!the!
actual!hours!they!are!clocking!up!or!about!their!
wellbeing!per!se.!!!
!
As!illustrated!in!the!table!below,!more!progressive!
measures!of!wellbeing!might!look!at!whether!work!is!
actively!having!an!impact!on!performance,!health!or!
home!life.!!Such!measures!indicate!a!clearer!picture!of!
whether!wellbeing!is!damaged!by!work!and!whether!
this!is!temporary!or!a!sustained!impact.!!Still,!even!
these!measures!focus!on!damage!limitation!and!don’t!
give!any!sense!as!to!whether!the!organisation!
contributes!to!positive!wellbeing.!!!To!effectively!
evaluate!wellbeing,!it!is!worth!measuring!whether!
people!are!currently!experiencing!pressure!or!
whether!they!feel!resilient!to!change.!
!
!
Linking!wellbeing!and!employee!engagement!!
Once!an!appropriate!set!of!wellbeing!measures!have!
been!identified,!an!employer!will!want!to!understand!
what!is!affecting!those!measures!and!hence!what!can!
be!done!to!improve!wellbeing.!!We!recommend!
asking!employees!about!some!of!the!factors!
identified!in!this!report!to!help!check!different!issues!
that!might!affect!them.!!For!example,!views!on!what!
helps!people!to!collaborate!or!whether!they!feel!they!
are!trusted!to!work!remotely.!!!
!
One!area!to!explore!with!employees!is!what!they!
want!in!the!workplace.!!Several!of!our!case!study!
organisations!said!that!a!key!part!of!their!wellbeing!
programme!was!regular!consultation!with!employees.!
For!example,!at!Spotify,!their!survey!asks!employees!
what!they!want!I!such!as!improved!decoration!such!
as!motifs,!plants!or!space!for!social!activities!like!table!
tennis.!!Simply!by!asking!and!responding!to!what!
people!want!can!boost!engagement!levels!as!people!
feel!involved!and!connected!to!the!workplace.!
!
To!demonstrate!a!link!between!wellbeing!and!
employee!engagement,!you!can!use!feedback!from!
your!employee!survey!to!determine!a!link!between!
the!two.!!Alternatively,!look!at!employee!turnover!or!
employee!engagement!levels!in!different!areas!of!
your!organisation!and!conduct!some!focus!groups!
with!people!around!some!of!the!topics!from!this!
report!to!explore!wellbeing.!
!
Often,!wellbeing!is!an!investment!businesses!make!
when!things!are!going!well!but!can!be!one!of!the!first!
areas!to!cut!back!when!money!is!tight.!!In!particular,!
when!an!organisation!is!under!pressure,!it!can!feel!a!
very!different!place!to!work!than!when!times!are!
good.!!!
!
Table!1:!Progressive!ways!of!measuring!wellbeing!
! !
Indicators!of!poor!wellbeing! Indicators!of!positive!wellbeing!
Feeling!unable!to!balance!work!and!life!
Under!too!much!pressure!to!be!productive!
Work!interfering!with!home!life!
Health!is!actively!suffering!
Feeling!happy!in!the!work!place!
Feeling!trusted!!
Feel!alert!at!work!
Feeling!resilient!to!change!happening!
!
! !
!
!
!
! ! !
2626!
!
!
26!
!
Linking!wellbeing!and!organisational!performance!!
In!terms!of!linking!wellbeing!to!organisational!
performance,!you!may!want!to!identify!where!each!
team!sits!in!terms!of!their!sense!of!wellbeing!and!
their!performance.!!This!may!involve!reflecting!on!
wider!business!measures!of!performance.!!Then,!map!
each!team!into!one!of!the!four!following!segments:!
!
!
Wellness!
High! !
A!great!
employee!deal!
but!a!poor!
business!
investment!
!
!
Healthy!
organisation!with!
good!wellbeing!
and!performance!
!
!
Low!
!
Unhealthy!
organisation!
with!poor!
wellbeing!and!
performance!
!
!
!
Risk!of!employee!
burnout!!
! ! Low!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!High!
! ! Performance!
!
!
These!segments!give!an!indication!of!what!kind!of!
deal!each!team!is!getting!from!you!as!an!employer!
and!what!action!you!can!take:!
!
1. Healthy!team!or!organisation!with!wellbeing!and!
performance!I!for!teams!in!this!space,!it!is!
important!to!keep!an!eye!on!the!indicators!of!
good!and!poor!wellbeing!to!ensure!there!are!no!
emerging!problems.!
2. A!great!employee!deal!–!a!large!emphasis!on!
wellbeing!without!a!clear!link!to!improved!
performance.!!As!a!result,!current!wellbeing!
activities!may!be!poor!business!investments!and!
need!to!be!reviewed.!
3. Risk!of!burnout!–!where!there!is!not!enough!care!
for!employees.!!Need!more!symbols!of!caring.!
People!can!burnout!or!feel!the!deal!has!been!
broken!(just!when!you!need!them!most).!
4. Unhealthy!team!or!organisation!–!it!is!probable!
that!an!investment!in!improving!wellbeing!will!
help!improve!engagement!and!performance.!
!
We!would!recommend!being!conscious!of!which!
segment!you!are!in!when!developing!a!business!case!
for!investing!in!wellbeing.!!
!
!
!
!
Wellbeing!and!Engagement!at!the!Cambridge!Building!
Society!(CBS)!
!
The!Sunday!Times!Best!Companies!to!Work’s!survey!
explores!wellbeing!as!one!theme!to!evaluate!employee!
engagement.!!CBS!entered!the!survey!but!wellbeing!was!
an!area!they!performed!less!well.!!Although!this!was!a!
concern!for!the!organisation!I!part!of!the!CBS!brand!is!
to!be!a!caring!organisation!–!they!considered!the!survey!
to!offer!a!baseline!benchmark!to!make!some!
improvements.!!
!
A!virtual!Wellbeing!Team!was!established!to!better!
champion!the!importance!of!wellbeing.!They!looked!at!
five!themes!–!physical,!financial,!holistic,!social!and!
mental!wellbeing.!All!initial!wellbeing!activities!were!
cost!neutral.!!One!example!project!was!to!review!the!
medical!insurance!that!the!organisation!gave!as!an!
employee!benefit.!!Few!people!claimed!from!the!
insurance!so!it!had!little!impact!on!the!majority!of!
workers.!!Therefore!the!team!looked!to!replace!the!
insurance!with!a!Health!Cash!Plan!that!impacts!more!on!
the!wellbeing!of!all!employees.!This!Plan!funds!medical!
care!as!well!as!offering!holistic!treatments!such!as!
massage,!dental!care,!alternative!medicines!to!help!
more!proactive!support!for!wellbeing.!!!
!
The!Team!produces!a!monthly!newsletter!to!
communicate!benefits!of!wellbeing!by!promoting!what!
individual!employees!are!doing!to!improve!their!
wellbeing!such!as!a!gym!programme,!diets,!stress!
management,!charity!runs!etc.!These!profiles!are!linked!
back!to!the!five!themes.!!!CBS!believe!that!wellbeing!is!a!
fundamental!part!of!driving!better!performance.!!In!
recent!times,!CBS!has!been!awarded!the!Cambridge!
Business!Award!for!Employer!of!the!Year!–!wellbeing!
was!a!key!part!of!achieving!this!accolade.!!They!have!
also!moved!from!‘one!to!watch’!to!a!‘star!awarded’!
employer!in!the!Best!Companies!league.!
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©!Talent!Glue!Ltd!2014!
Email:[email protected]!
Website:!www.talentglue.co.uk!
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