The all-too-familiar battle over office temperature always springs to mind whenever I think about how workspaces can be more or less inclusive towards certain demographics.
To elaborate, the ideal office temperature of 21 degrees Celsius that was settled on using Fanger’s Thermal Comfort model in the 1960s was based on a 69 kg 40-year-old man’s resting metabolic rate at a time where female employment rates were still fairly low (38%). Yet, research now shows women feel more comfortable and productive working at 24 degrees Celsius, meaning we’d been unconsciously ‘freezing’ women out of office spaces for about 40 years.
This lends itself to the following question: if we were to look back on the year 2024 in 5 or 10 years’ time, which of today’s status-quo office features and parameters would we point to as having potentially excluded or disadvantaged specific groups of employees? And more importantly, what can landlords, commercial property developers, workspace providers and businesses do to minimise the historic disadvantages that a lack of action would likely create?
Weaving neurobiology into the business world
For me, weaving neurobiology into our architecture is the next big leap forward that’s waiting to happen. The last five years, give or take, have seen our general awareness and acceptance of sensory, cognitive and behavioural differences grow exponentially, with ‘neurodiversity’ taking on a bit of a buzzword status – but our office spaces have some catching up to do.
Deloitte reports that 10-20% of the world’s population is neurodivergent. What’s more, businesses are increasingly tuned into the unique skillsets that neurodiverse employees can offer, and are actively looking to recruit neurodiverse talent to fill their skill gaps and support overall business success.
With this realisation has come a lot of discussions around reasonable workplace adjustments for neurodiverse workers, notably the ongoing debate around whether they should be given different treatment with regards to their employer’s official work-from-home policy.
The death of the private office and WFH models
Mad Men-style private offices have long been out, with open floor office designs largely dominating the commercial real estate landscape for some time – and this diminishing level of personal space has been made more pronounced by the quick succession of recent events, namely a global office exodus and panic downsizing followed by a push to return to our now-smaller office spaces. The impact of this squeeze on indoor noise pollution is considerable, and can be particularly disruptive for neurodiverse employees.
What previous conversations around workplace adjustments have succeeded to recognise, is the varying degrees to which certain employees may need silence in order to succeed at work. And with the pandemic having validated work-from-home as a viable alternative to office-based work, offering neurodiverse employees more time from home has often stood out as the natural solution to noisy, overstimulating office spaces not being adequately fitted to provide respite from the chaos.
Essentially, what this approach is indirectly saying – rather problematically – is that if you don’t fit into the office as-it-exists-today mould, maybe it’s best if you stay at home. It assumes that everyone’s home environment is better suited to their needs, and if it’s not, relegates the issue of making it suitable to the individual.
Sensory-friendly spaces promote pay equity
We know from numerous studies over the past three years, that within companies which permit remote work, the employees who work largely from home are on average less likely to be promoted – 31% according to 2023 research from Live Data Technologies – or receive a pay rise, than their office-based counterparts. With this tactic comes therefore huge disparities in lifetime earning potential between neurodiverse and neurotypical employees, so the need to revisit our approach to making work more neuroinclusive is urgent.
What we’ve failed to consider, let alone provide, are sensory-friendly spaces so that neurodiverse employees can be given the same opportunities to succeed in the workplace as everyone else. Forward-thinking businesses will want to consider the following actionable pointers when picking or designing an office space, to boost work satisfaction for neurodiverse employees, regardless of their neurotypology.
- Make hot-desking optional
Hotdesking is another pandemic-exacerbated trend that neurodiverse workers would probably want to wish out of existence. The distress of not knowing exactly what your day might look like and where you can sit in the office is enough to dissuade some neurodiverse employees from taking a job that operates with this kind of setup. Giving those who work best with structure and routines a dedicated desk will benefit their career progression and workplace wellbeing. If possible, employers should offer employees the option of choosing the location of this designated desk, so that they can pick a space with minimal circulation and optimal levels of sensory stimuli. Likewise, a permanently assigned storage space for each employee is an essential provision to support a sense of security and desire to maintain habits.
- Divide spaces by function
Creating designated quiet spaces, although perhaps reminiscent of libraries, is an effective solution to promote neuroinclusivity, while preserving an open plan layout. Those who thrive in bustling environments can congregate in dedicated spaces which encourage collaboration, and those who need silence can make use of the quiet zones. This way the office of the future becomes a harmonious free-flowing space where employees are no longer restricted to sitting next to colleagues based on team composition or hierarchy, but can elect an area based on the type of work they are doing and their individual sensory needs. Employees with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may also benefit from being able to regularly change up their environment, walking back and forth between spaces depending on their mood and the tasks they are working on.
- Improve office acoustics
Adding modular soundproof phone booths is a cost-effective and sustainable way of seamlessly carving out spaces for neurodiverse employees to comfortably take their work calls, without altering existing infrastructure and floor plans. Acting as sensory deprivation tanks, these private pods are particularly helpful for employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD, who may either be overwhelmed or distracted by the hum-drum of office life. Improving office acoustics more generally can be done by placing dividers between spaces, with plants being an excellent choice, and opting for padded or upholstered soft furniture and linoleum tables to absorb sound.
Employers can also invest in noise-cancelling headphones for their employees, to block out external sounds when taking a phone call – or tune out from office chit-chat and focus on their tasks. In equal measure, some may find the sound of silence and keyboard clattering distressing and need to drown out these sounds with music – or conversely, find background music in the office distracting, and need to block this out with a brown noise playlist, for example.
- Minimise visual distractions
Sensory overload can stem not just from noise, but also lighting. Checking that office lighting isn’t too harsh, and opting for warmer colours are a few simple adjustments to consider. Mood lighting works best, and in an ideal setup, desk lamps would be provided, allowing employees to regulate the lighting in their own workspace as needed. Blinds should be installed around windows, and curtains or milk glass film can be used to block out distracting visuals of movement up and down corridors.
- Offer ergonomic adjustments
In addition to traditional desk chairs, providing balls or stools can help stimulate cognitive processes for people with ADHD, while offering some stimulation for people with ASD, who may otherwise grow frustrated and engage in involuntary repetitive movements. Opting for desks with adjustable height can also help neurodiverse employees release excess energy by switching up their posture throughout the day.
Ultimately, allowing neurodiverse employees to split their time between home and the office remains an attractive and useful benefit. However, businesses with a genuine drive to not only retain diverse talent but truly create an inclusive workplace that supports career progression and long-term job satisfaction for neurodiverse employees, will want to take note of the above recommendations. What makes the case for implementing these adjustments even more compelling, is the fact that they don’t take anything away from or jeopardise the rest of the workforce – in fact, these are all improvements which will most likely make the office a more comfortable and enjoyable place to be for everyone, neurotypicals alike.
