The Psychological Beauty of Good Workplace Design

 It is time we looked at the importance of good workplace design, especially as I clog-danced all over purportedly top-level A&D research in a recent post . While it is impossible to design a great workspace – given the need for exquisite understanding of people (or to put it another way just one bad boss can muck up even the most fabulous space)  – the difference between a decent working environment and a bad one remains huge.

Good workplace design plays a significant role in shaping the productivity, well-being, and the overall success of a business and its employees. The psychological engagement of an enriched workspace encourages a positive atmosphere that can enhance employee engagement, creativity, and collaboration. Good design can contribute significantly to the organization's overall efficiency and success.

Not enough

It is important to recognize that natural light, proper ventilation, and ergonomic furniture are not enough to make a workplace, not nearly enough.  It is essential to create a psychologically comfortable, inviting and involving environment for employees. Physically comfortable, doesn’t mean all that much if workers are ill at ease. But tick both boxes - physical and mental comfort - and we will all be more focused, more motivated, and see our output increase.

Indeed ticking both boxes is the very definition of good design. Design can play fast, slippery and loose with aesthetic, and have RIBA award members dribbling with glee, but to little purpose (we will come back to that). Way above any CAD dongle and Staedtler pen, design must treat people as the great apes they are. Give them places to commune.

What those in the North of England call a Brew Area is one of the best features of any landscape. This is far more important than pointy bits in reception, doors that go ‘whish,’ or 16 desks in HR rather than 12. Give people a microwave, a kettle, some biscuits and a place to chat and you let them do what apes do, socialise. You encourage interaction and idea-sharing, breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of unity within the organization.

Collaboration is vital for problem-solving, innovation, and overall team effectiveness. These are all critical elements in a competitive business landscape. So 'apes', please remember apes.

Pleasure and pain

However, if instead, companies want to irritate their employees, then they should plaster a workplace with company values and branding. People love being told that they work for the eighth best insurance company in Rutland, with the organization's skull and crossbones logo tattooed onto each wall. And they thoroughly appreciate and respond to posters stating that there is no ‘I’ in Crass Management Thoughtlessness. 

Please. Give them something interesting and different. And not another bloody ping pong table or a slide. Let's assume they're all grown ups as well. Ask them.

If those same businesses properly involve colleagues in what they would like to see in their workspace they help create a sense of identity and belonging. When the delight in the physical workspace aligns with a sense of belonging, we see the development of positive culture and a reinforced sense of shared purpose across the workforce, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention rates.

It's a rat trap, Judy

Involving colleagues to develop top level design, calls on psychology, because the power of design is also its crippling Achilles’ heel. When design concentrates on aesthetic, on shape and minimalist intent, where design becomes a theocracy of:

“Yes, we will consult, we will ask, but then we, the gifted ones will interpret. Consequently you will receive more or less the same design we would have given you anyway (see House Style and Of Course We Know Best).”

Then all those good things in the above paragraph risk being reversed.

When design companies say that “Here is a workplace that has taken into consideration the need for privacy and focused work. Where open layouts encourage collaboration, and there are quiet spaces and private offices set aside for crucial tasks that require concentration, confidentiality, or individual creativity,” be as suspicious as a rat in a cheese larder when the lights suddenly go out. Ask questions.

 Ask precisely who wanted these specific things. And if the answer is:

1.    The CEO/Decision Maker

2.  The design company itself based on its own ineffable brilliance

3.    “The people told us via a survey that we sent out (and that we interpreted

because we are very clever, and we found out that “Here is workplace that has

taken into consideration🙄…)” or

4.    Um…

Don’t pay the fee.  But if the Marketing Department asked for a breakout area, Sales wanted a thought generating room, Accounts put in a request for a row of spikes and a ducking stool, and there they all are, then your design is likely to be good.

 And good design is easy to spot. It is a bit messy. Things like half a Mini Cooper stuck on the wall, plants overflowing into corridors, and people’s own playlists parping over the speakers, may be a bit hackneyed. But they work, they underwrite a good space (yes, even if Sam is still into Take That and the Spice Girls; the pain will soon pass).

Whereas if you have sleek minimalist lines, nothing sitting on expensive curvilinear desks, with only company related posters and artwork on the walls. Well, congratulations. You have an updated design, based on Orwell's 1984. Expect similar levels of joy and rapture.

Good workplace design goes beyond aesthetics; it impacts the overall success and well-being of an organization. By prioritizing employee comfort, collaboration, and input, design can create positive and inspiring work environments that promote creativity, productivity, and a sense of community. Good design will also give you a competitive edge in attracting top talent and driving sustained growth. Or not. Choose wisely.

.Help is here when needed. C (Thanks for reading)

#design #psychology #performance #productivity #wellbeing #management