Well-Being, Science and Design

For years, professionals responsible for workplace strategy and design have sought scientific evidence to guide designs promoting employee health, well-being and productivity. Current research is scarce, highly specific (e.g., air quality, lighting, temperature), and fails to explore a spectrum of contributing factors. Because the built environment holds such promise as a major factor of both employee health and well-being, HealthyWorkplaces focused on how these can be enhanced. Specifically, the Healthy Workplaces Model identified six "drivers" of employee well-being that can be translated into design concepts. Drivers in the Model are based on scientific studies of human needs, conducted over decades. The "needs" included are: Positive Emotions (joy, hope, gratitude, serenity, interest, amusement, pride, and inspiration), Meaning/Purpose, Belonging/Social Connection, Autonomy, Personal Growth, Competence/Mastery, Safety, and Accomplishment. Satisfying these needs determines psychological states, which determine health, well-being, and productivity. This roundtable session focuses on the Model and drivers most closely associated with environmental and workplace designs.  Join the conversation and collaborate with your peers to translate the drivers into design examples.

Key Takeaways:

• Acquire new evidence-based knowledge of the relationship between environmental design and basic human needs.
• Gain new ways to think about healthy workplaces which involve the concept of drivers and psychological states.
• Examine tangible ideas about workplace design to inform and enhance your future professional work.