This is the 4th post in our series about Environmental Psychology considerations and how they can help inform your workplace design and protocols. Check out the other posts in this series here.
Imagine this—you walk into the office after months of working from home and the first thing you see as you enter the building is tangled caution tape, blocking off the public seating area in the entry way.
While the intent is certainly pure and focused on maintaining safety for all, employers and workplace professionals will do well to consider the non-verbal message that a scene like this can send: Danger!
On top of verbal and visual communication, employee perceptions of non-verbal communications are also a key component in either alleviating or elevating employee stress. The focus, clearly, needs to be on alleviating the stress. And while reminding users to be cautious should most assuredly be a part of your plan, there are ways to do that without adding to users’ anxiety or causing them to panic. At Allsteel’s headquarters, for example, we’re utilizing a simple elastic band at the top of any seat not intended for use to gently remind our members to keep a safe distance.
Another well researched way to alleviate stress is to incorporate biophilic design into the new workplace—i.e. adding natural elements, materials, and textures into the workspace, keeping views to the outdoors, deploying circadian lighting—perhaps even placing planters in workstations that should not be used or to guide foot traffic through the space. This serves the dual purpose of alleviating stress (who doesn’t like plants??) and reemphasizes social distancing. Another way biophilic design helps alleviate stress is though the sense of smell, which will be further defined in an upcoming blog.
The new workplace will inevitably be visually different in some way or another—blocked off workstations, directional arrows, reconfigured café seating. To help achieve some sense of ‘the familiar’ to employees, employers can consciously keep some components of the workplace unchanged.
Creating a sense of the familiar can be a significant contributor to creating a positive perception when employees return to the office. It’s like when I go to Macy’s—women’s shoes and fragrances are by the door; men’s clothing is tucked in the back corner. I know right where I need to go for socks. You want employees to know where to go to get to work.
One approach is to focus, at least initially, on only completing crucial physical changes to the workplace—likely both a time sensitive and financial requirement for the organization. This concept of supporting familiarity to help boost performance will also be covered in an upcoming blog: Balancing change with the need for familiarity.
