Many years ago, I was relaxing in an outdoor yoga class when the instructor invited us to imagine we were on a beach. As my mind began to create a sensory-rich scene, my soul detoured to an unexpectedly more profound experience. I was beckoned to enjoy the beautiful setting at the very park I was in—instead of attempting to mentally escape my reality.
The opening words to Dr. Esther Sternberg’s new book, “Well at Work: Creating Wellbeing in Any Workspace,” echoed a similar promise: “Close your eyes and imagine your happy place. I’ll wager it’s not your office, or your workspace wherever you work! What if you could turn your workspace into that happy place? What if it felt more like a spa than a row of cramped cubicles?”
Turns out the pandemic exodus from the workplace offered people an upgrade from their drab, dark work environments that were often either too hot or too cold. It was a grand lesson on how our work environments can nurture health, happiness, and productivity under the ideal conditions.
American Essence chatted with Dr. Sternberg, who has studied the intersection of health and spaces for more than two decades and holds many titles, including founding director of the University of Arizona’s Institute on Place, Wellbeing, & Performance.
“People don’t want to go back to work in these awful spaces,” Sternberg said. “You can do your head-down work at home. We need spaces to go to that can foster a sense of community, to brainstorm together, and socialize. That works better when you’re physically in person rather than on a video conference call.”
Why Work Environments Matter
“You need to have good ventilation to clear away all the bad stuff that can be in the air—the viruses, the mold, the allergens, the toxins. That’s a starting point. It’s not good enough to just have that, and that’s why I wrote the book,” she said. “You need to design spaces that enhance emotional wellbeing as well. If you’re spending most of your day in a space that is stressful, you’re going to end up being less resilient. You’ll be more susceptible to more frequent and severe viral infections. You can get burned out.”
On the Ideal Work Environment
There is no gold standard, Dr. Sternberg said, because one size does not fit all. “The ideal work space would have many different choices,” she said. “Different spaces work for different people.”
But there are some generalities to keep in mind, including quieter places for focusing, community spaces for gatherings of all sizes, bright full-spectrum sunlight in the morning that dims as the workday ends, the ability to get up and move every hour, and access to the outdoors. If direct connection to nature isn’t possible, plenty of windows, indoor gardens, and even artwork of natural settings can help.
Most Surprising Research Finding
A study comparing 60 office workers in a building being retrofitted revealed that those people working in dark offices with high cubicle walls had elevated stress—not just at work but through the night at home, Dr. Sternberg said. They measured heart rate variability with a wearable device, and salivary cortisol levels were captured five times throughout the day. A follow-up study of 225 office workers years later found that those working in an open office plan with lots of choices were less stressed and had better quality sleep.
“Other things were surprising, too, for example that too little noise can be stressful as well as too much noise,” she said. “When we asked people whether they were stressed or not in various places, they weren’t aware of it.”
Tips From Dr. Sternberg for Improving Your Workspace
Incorporating some of these ideas can offset a less than ideal environment, no matter where you work:
- Sit near a window, preferably one facing the rising sun.
- Keep humidity between 30 percent and 60 percent.
- Consider an ergonomic chair (some even have temperature settings) to facilitate correct spinal posture.
- An ideal work setting will take into consideration the domains of integrative health in the workplace: reducing stress, getting sufficient quality sleep, eating a healthy diet, maintaining social connections, engaging in some form of spiritual reflection, getting plenty of exercise, and making sure the environment is toxin-free and the air you breathe is clean and fresh.
This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
