by Brianna Crandall — July 13, 2015—Ethonomics: Designing for the Principles of the Modern Workplace, a new paper released during the NeoCon 2015 contract furnishings show in June by Teknion, international designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative workplace interiors, outlines how design can have a significant impact on happiness among employees, making the important connection that many of the same tenets that make us happy and healthy in our lives outside of work can—and should—be applied inside today’s workplace.
According to the new Ethonomics: Designing for the Principles of the Modern Workplace report, the term “ethonomics” combines ethics and economy. In the paper, Teknion looks at the role of design through this lens and what it means to the well-being and productivity of today’s workforce. Ethonomics uncovers that there may, in fact, be a “formula” for the architecture of workplace happiness—and it revolves around companies looking cohesively at four core areas within the workplace and their impact on employees: promoting physical activity, incorporating nature, reducing noise and employing materials that help to create a safe, comfortable and inspiring environment.
In the United States, workplace wellness is a $6 billion industry, yet according to Teknion it is no secret the majority of Americans are unhappy and unhealthy in their workplace. In fact, according to Gallup’s last State of the Global Workplace Report, less than one-third of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014, with a majority of employees (51 percent) saying they were “not engaged” and 17.5 percent saying they were “actively disengaged.”
The paper, a collaboration with leading experts in the design community such as Joan Blumenfeld, a Principal of Perkins+Will, one of Fast Company‘s Most Innovative Companies, and Suzanne Tick, founder of Suzanne Tick Inc., who advised on sensory stimulation and color trends, reveals that many of the trends in urban planning parallel changes in thinking about the workplace, such as how cities, buildings and their interiors need to be designed for both sustainability and to promote health and wellness. Just as civic leaders and city planners are focused on cultivating urban neighborhoods that address human needs—and the health of the environment and all living things—architects and designers must also create healthy, people-first buildings and workspaces.
The paper addresses several key themes necessary to create a formula for workplace well-being, engagement and productivity:
- Active design strategies that promote movement
- Human-centered workplaces that offer privacy from noise and distraction
- Biophilic design—borrowing from nature to bring the outdoors inside
- Creating rich, sensory landscapes that help balance our everyday engagements with technology
- Sustainability’s role in color and textile selection
“There is an enormous opportunity for sustainable design and architecture to grow beyond preventing environmental degradation and to become truly restorative, to not only alleviate the damaging effects of work but to make work a catalyst for health,” said Steve Delfino, vice president of corporate marketing and product management for Teknion. “Workplaces that want to incorporate these principles of ethonomics will need to acknowledge that design is a shared responsibility across a business, however. In order to holistically put this formula for workplace happiness to work, it will include the partnership and commitment of design as well as leadership, HR, IT, finance and facilities management.”
One of the important active design strategies that Ethonomics mentions is a first-of-its-kind research finding that supports the actual health benefits to a sit-stand workstation. According to the first scientific study on sitting vs. standing guidelines, commissioned by Teknion and done in partnership with the University of Waterloo, people should be standing for a minimum of two hours of an eight-hour workday, or following a 3:1 sit-to-stand ratio. The Ethonomics researchers advise that workspaces should think holistically and flex to provide a variety of spaces and destinations for workers to inhabit that promote movement throughout the day, incorporating a number of these key elements and initiatives at all scales.
In addition to the new Ethonomics: Designing for the Principles of the Modern Workplace report, see also Teknion’s collaborations and initiatives, rearrangeable and height-adjustable office systems, and individually controlled, dynamic educational/training seating introduced at NeoCon 2015 and previously covered on FMLink, as well as more FM-specific information on the company’s FMLink ad.
