FUTURE TALENT November - January 2019/2020 | Page 40

ON TOPIC
environment could be
negatively affecting our
wellbeing and productivity.
Peggie
Rothe,
development director at
Leesman Index, believes
that our workspace is of
the utmost relevance to
getting the most out of our
working day.
“Humans are very much
impacted by their
environment,” she says.
“Environments in general
have a huge influence on
how we feel, how we behave
and how we interact. At
work, more specifically, it
has an impact on how well
we can do our job.”
Supporting this, a recent
study of workers in North
America by HR advisory firm
FutureWorkplace found that
two-thirds of employees are
m o re p ro d u c t i v e i n
workplaces with good air
quality, lighting that’s easy
on the eye and acoustics
that don’t make it feel like
people are working 20,000
leagues under the sea.
Environments
have a huge
influence on
how we feel,
behave and
interact
BRINGING THE OUTSIDE
IN AT SKYSCANNER
40 // Future Talent
Jenny Jones, who runs a
London-based architecture
and design studio, agrees
that these factors have a
profound effect on our
ability to work.
“In an ideal world, your
space is going to have high
ceilings, great daylight, a
good connection with the
outdoors,” she says. “They
are scientifically proven to
be beneficial environments
to be working in.”
I
t is also crucial for
businesses to
create a space
that reflects the
values and goals of their
particular organisation.
Jones points out that, prior
to working with a client, she
makes a concerted effort
to gain an understanding of
what the business needs,
avoiding an ‘off-the-shelf’
approach.
“I think what’s really
interes ting abou t the
workplace conversation
now i s t h at i t ’ s ve r y
influenced by the type of
company,” she adds. “It all
depends what the company
does, what their workflow
is, and what their culture is.”
For example, global
sports apparel company
Gymshark’s new £5m
innovation hub in Solihull has
merged work and work-out
spaces to exhibit the
business’s commitment to
physical and mental
wellbeing.
Designed in collaboration
with of fice design
consultancy Oktra, the
5 5 , 0 0 0 s q u a re -fo ot .
wa re ho u s e ho s t s t he
brand’s research and
development function, and
includes a state-of-the-art
gym, photo studio and
100-person auditorium.
A central concrete health
bar is a focal point of the
design and is a space ear-
marked for learning and
development
and
collaboration.
A
s the American
poet Rober t
F ro s t
once
observed, “the
brain is a powerful organ; it
starts working the moment
you get up in the morning
and does not stop until you
get into the office.”
Is this a reflection on our
work ethic, our shor t
attention spans – or perhaps
the suitability of most
working environments to
help people perform to the
best of their ability?
For many of us,
the answer appears to be
the latter. A global survey by
(office furniture solutions
company) Steelc ase
revealed that just 13% of
workers are highly engaged
or highly satisfied by their
workspace, while research
by YouGov found that less
than half of British workers
(43%) feel the design of their
workplace encourages
innovation and creativity.
At an even more basic
level, a poor working
O