An early wave of the global movement to create inclusive work environments emerged in the mid-20th century, with a strong focus on reducing discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. This movement is having a renaissance in recent years, through with a broader objective, as organisations are making significant effort to support the wellbeing, work performance, and experience of their people. All their people.
Providing everyone the opportunity to thrive is more than just a noble cause. Inclusive workplace practices and environments are shown to boost innovation, elevate workplace culture, and help improve talent attraction and retention – among many other benefits.
When it comes to promoting inclusion, the timing couldn’t be more apt. As shown by research, diverse and inclusive teams tend to have a greater potential to innovate and solve complex problems compared to homogenous teams. This advantage becomes even more pronounced in uncertain and fast-changing environments. And do we live in uncertain and fast-changing times? This might be one of the rare questions where nearly everyone would respond with a resounding ‘yes’.
Making inclusive design simpler
Most leaders probably also agree that bringing out the best in everyone and fostering a sense of belonging are compelling and worthwhile objectives. However, unpacking the concept of ‘inclusion’ can lead to murky territory. To address inclusion, leaders need to navigate sensitive issues such as race, gender, religion, and physical and mental health. Each of these topics is inherently complex and nuanced; for instance, the A to Z of Disabilities and Accommodations database alone (developed by the Job Accommodation Network) lists 98 conditions linked to limitations or special needs that workplace leaders and designers may need to consider.
In addition, business literature offers an ever-growing body of advice on common employee challenges that leaders and managers are expected to understand and support, from anxiety and depression to grief, menopause, family violence, burnout, and so on.
If a workplace ecosystem relies on leaders and managers keeping up with all this knowledge while also fulfilling their other pressing responsibilities, it’s perhaps fair to say that the system is doomed to fail.
The good news is that leaders and managers don’t have to become health experts, therapists, or their employees’ best friends, to be able to support their teams. Similarly, workplace designers don’t require an in-depth understanding of human biology, physiology or psychology to create inclusive physical environments. What they do need is a grasp of the overarching principles and characteristics of inclusive environments, along with clearly defined boundaries between their responsibilities and the capabilities of their people.
The foundation: ensure the workplace supports human needs
While an abundance of research-based advice is available on designing inclusive physical workplaces, they fall into a handful of common themes:
01 – An inclusive workplace is highly diverse.
An inclusive environment is designed with the recognition that individual needs, preferences and capabilities vary greatly – including optimal levels of visual stimulation, noise and temperatures, as well as ways of working, relaxing, reflecting, and connecting with others. Therefore, the workplace needs to provide a variety of spaces with different furnishings, ambiences and soundscapes, and make it easy for people to move between spaces.
Common mistakes: Many workplaces are designed with a uniform look and feel, with only superficial differences between work, social and recreation areas. The intention is often commendable: to create a consistent brand experience, or to ensure ideal comfort conditions are achieved throughout. Unfortunately, when a brand is only defined by a narrow set of colours, shapes and materials – as opposed to values and experiences – it’s unlikely to promote inclusion or make a meaningful impact. And ideal comfort conditions as such do not exist (outside the world of building standards), as we are all different.
02 – An inclusive workplace offers a rich and intentional sensory experience.
Vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste and all integral parts of the human experience and directly influence our emotions, thoughts, and actions. Effective, human-centric workplaces are developed through a careful analysis of the intended activities and sensory experiences in the different spaces, and are carefully designed to stimulate or calm the various senses – for example, to help people focus, innovate, connect with one another, reflect or relax. (Incorporating tactile surfaces, calming colours, and dim lighting into relaxation spaces, for instance, can make it easier for people to recover from visually demanding work.)
Common mistakes: While designers tend to pay significant attention to what workplaces look and sound like, they often overlook opportunities to meaningfully engage other senses. Activity-based workplace assessments primarily focus on the functional aspects of the environment, but the practice of assessing sensory needs and experiences in relation to different spaces and activities is not yet widely adopted
03 – A human-centric workplace meets evolutionary needs.
Our relationship with the physical environment has been shaped by human evolution. Spaces that people today find safe, interesting and pleasant share many characteristics with the natural environments our hunting-and-gathering ancestors 10,000 years ago considered safe, interesting and pleasant.
These characteristics include: interesting visual environment, variation in colours, textures, patterns, lighting and temperatures, balance between complexity and order, organic layout and forms, green spaces, access to daylight, ability to see what’s happening around us, and a sense of protection. Human-centric spaces also offer opportunities for exercise, privacy, relaxation and restoration, spontaneous social encounters, and movement between interaction and solitude.
Common mistakes: While integrating natural qualities into the work environment is a common objective, designers often approach this through add-on solutions rather than developing the design concept based on an understanding of deeply rooted psychological needs. As a result, while many workplaces may appear impressive and supportive of functional requirements, they often fail to provide a nurturing environment that elevates the human experience and potential.
Supporting a few – and supporting everyone
Interestingly, research literature blurs the line between design solutions that support people with special needs and solutions recommended to support the wellbeing and capabilities of all employees. Recent papers often list design solutions under the banners of ‘neurodiversity’ and ‘inclusion’, which earlier sources simply consider good human-centric design.
This raises some questions: Have we have normalised an approach to workplace design where it’s acceptable to expose people to physical and psychological challenges that the majority can handle? Is it helpful to use separate processes and criteria when designing for the majority, and when designing for those with special needs? The answers aren’t necessarily straightforward.
But here is what we know for sure: studies consistently show that design interventions aimed to improve the wellbeing and experiences of environmentally sensitive individuals tend to benefit everyone. This makes sense, given that we all have largely similar needs for physical and mental wellbeing – the key differences are in our individual thresholds. What might be too much or too little stimulation for one person could be manageable for another without excessive effort. However, adapting to suboptimal environments always requires effort, and if good design can spare healthy and neurotypical employees from exerting that effort, they will naturally feel better and have more internal resources left to bring to their work.
When inclusive, universal design principles are embraced from the early stages of workplace transformation projects, the investments are often inexpensive, and can lead to significant cost savings and returns.
The customisation: accommodate people with special needs
Workplace transformation projects tend to me more successful when people using the space have meaningful involvement in the decision-making process, and the space is tailored to the unique characteristics of the organisation and its teams. However, inclusive workplaces often require another layer of customisation, where the space is adapted to accommodate uncommon needs.
When an office space offers a wide range of options for employees and supports fundamental and diverse human needs, as outlined above, much fewer individual requests for special accommodation are likely to arise – compared to workplace projects that are primarily driven by functionality. Modern building regulations also continue to expand their requirements for making workplaces accessible and equitable for people with physical disabilities and limitations, which further reduces the need for individual customisation. Still, individual requests can arise in any workplace project, at any time. Leaders and designers are encouraged to listen carefully to individual requests. While gathering background information about a person’s condition can be helpful, it’s important to avoid pigeonholing individuals into a narrow set of predefined categories. Equally, employees should not need to qualify for having their needs at least considered. (Such rigid approaches would be inherently non-inclusive.) Creating safe spaces for honest and trusting conversations and engaging in collaborative efforts are usually the easiest paths to finding effective solutions. Moreover, when workplaces are designed to be highly flexible and adaptable, making further adjustments becomes much easier.
The empowerment: Offer people the flexibility and support they need
Individuals tend to know more about what it’s like to live with their needs and conditions than any leaders, designers or experts. They also tend to have well-developed strategies for working around their challenges, playing to their strengths, and making the best use of their talents. Despite their limitations, many people who are considered ‘different’ in one way or another can bring exceptional value to organisations, as long as they have the opportunity to work in ways they are most effective.
People with unique needs often experience certain aspects of their work lives differently from their peers, such as commuting, using technology, engaging in virtual or face-to-face interactions, participating in social activities, or performing focused or creative work.
Research from fields such as cognitive science, behavioural science, human factors, ergonomics, and assistive technology provides insights into how individuals with various conditions can navigate challenges and how targeted practices can mitigate them. It’s worthwhile to share relevant findings with employees who seem to struggle, helping them develop more manageable and effective work routines.
All employees benefit from a balance between flexibility and structure, as well as external and self-initiated support (as outlined in an earlier Research Lab article). However, people with unique needs may require external help, or the freedom to support themselves, in different areas and proportions. Rigid workplace rules and policies that apply equally to every employee, regardless of their individual needs and challenges, can sometimes create inequitable experiences. (As the popular quote says, ‘if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid’.) In contrast, thoughtfully adjusting work arrangements and expectations to bring out the best in individuals can go a long way toward creating inclusive, equitable, and empowering workplace experiences for everyone.
Creating an inclusive workplace is an intricate challenge, but it’s well within reach. By embracing human-centric design principles from the outset and responding thoughtfully to individual needs, organisations can create equitable work environments that maximise human potential and drive better outcomes for all.
Recommended reading
- Candido, C., Durakovic, I., & Marzban, S. (Eds.). (2024). Routledge Handbook of High-Performance Workplaces. Routledge.
- Job Accommodation Network. (n.d.). A to Z of Disabilities and Accommodations. askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm
- Morgan, A. (2024). Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Stumbling Block or Superpower? EduBirdie. edubirdie.com/blog/neurodiversity-in-the-workplace
- Orfield, S. J. (2022). When It Comes to Design for the Disabled, Let the Science Lead the Process. Common Edge. commonedge.org/when-it-comes-to-design-for-the-disabled-let-the-science-lead-the-process
- Terrapin Bright Green. (2024). 14+ Patterns of Biophilic Design: Improving Health and Well-Being in the Built Environment. terrapinbrightgreen.com/report/14-patterns/
- Whole Building Design Guide. (n.d.). Psychosocial Value of Space. wbdg.org/index.php/resources/psychosocial-value-space
