Designing the Workplace for the Whole Person
Great workplaces recognize that employees are more than the work they produce and give them spaces to focus, connect, recharge and simply be human.
Whether employees are in the office five days a week or splitting their time on a hybrid schedule, we can probably retire the idea that a productive workday means spending eight hours in the same chair.
People move. We collaborate, take video calls, need privacy, lose focus, regain it, step outside and occasionally need a few minutes to ourselves. We’re also parents, caregivers and people with lives that don’t disappear when the workday begins.
So what does designing for the whole person look like in practice? It starts by creating choices beyond the desk. Here are four spaces to incorporate into your workplace that send a simple but meaningful message to employees: we see you beyond your position description, and we recognize what you need to do your best work and feel supported throughout your day.
- Support for working mothers.
A private, comfortable mother’s room recognizes that being a parent and a professional aren’t separate identities and provides the space and privacy working mothers need during the day.
Dedicated mother’s room at HFS Federal Credit Union’s Hilo headquarters provides nursing mothers with a private, comfortable space designed to support their needs during the workday.
- Space to step outside.
In Hawaiʻi, lanais and outdoor areas can become natural extensions of the workplace, offering a change of environment for a meeting, lunch, focused work or a mental reset.
An outdoor employee area at Lendlease Island Palm Communities Management Office extends the workplace beyond four walls, giving employees access to fresh air, natural light and a change of environment throughout the day.
- Permission to pause.
Sometimes the most productive thing an employee can do is step away. Rest and wellness spaces create room to recharge before returning to the day.
Soft seating and views toward Diamond Head create an inviting employee break space at KUPU’s headquarters, offering a place to step away, recharge and return to the workday refreshed.
- Privacy when you need it.
Open offices support connection, but video calls and virtual meetings also require privacy and acoustic separation. Focus rooms, pods and phone booths provide an easy place to connect and concentrate.
Privacy pods like Haworth’s HushFree create an easy-to-access retreat within the open workplace, giving employees a quiet, acoustically controlled space for video calls, focused work or conversations that require privacy.
Creating these choices doesn’t necessarily require more space or budget. Shared workstations and thoughtful space planning can make room for environments that better reflect how people move through their day.
When workplaces recognize the whole person, employees feel that consideration, helping create organizations where great people want to stay and new talent can see themselves thriving.
If you’re considering how your workplace could better support your people, Systemcenter offers complimentary site consultations and space planning to help you explore what’s possible. Contact info@systemcenter.com to get started.
