A FEEL-GOOD HABITAT
“There are huge changes in terms of attracting talent,” says Adam Goodman, president of Goodmans Interior Structures, the third generation to lead the family business. “We’re helping companies express their unique culture and purpose and character in the design of their space.” In fact, Goodman notes he has hired a person to focus full-time on working with clients to understand their unique character and purpose, and translate it into the physical space. Says Goodman, “It’s important to be supportive of who the individual people are and how they work and what they need to do their work.” Comparing current trends in design plan to the old-style, dehumanizing banks of cubicles, he relates, “You feel a different energy, because the space is designed for humans, not to fit boxes into a space.” In fact, he notes that people feel before they think. “When you walk in to a workplace, you intuitively evaluate the organization’s culture, purpose, attitudes and beliefs before you even have a chance to intellectually process the data.” Workers have begun to bring a consumer mindset to their employment decisions, and this compels them to pick and choose where they work based on factors like their changing moods, their specific tasks, the need for collaboration, the need for technology, their preference for privacy or their yearning to be inspired. “We encourage customers to think of their office as a ‘habitat.’ The word implies that the environment has an impact on its occupants,” Goodman explains. “If a company wants to create an intentional culture, we work with them to create the habitat that supports that culture. “The physical workplace is an important culture-shaping tool that companies can’t afford to ignore; just as a penguin can’t survive in a lion’s habitat, the wrong workplace habitat will dampen leadership’s efforts to foster the right culture,” Goodman notes. Design of furniture is also evolving. Addressing the growing awareness that “sitting is the new smoking,” technology is going far beyond the simple concept of ergonomics. Observing, “Not all sitting is created equally,” Goodman describes dynamic chairs that promote active movement, changing posture and direction. “But even sitting in those chairs all day isn’t good.” Standing desks are an option that has been around for decades. Other variations on the desk include a cycle desk that incorporates a reclining bicycle and a treadmill desk that works up to a brisk walk. Goodman shares that he finds a perfect use for the treadmill desk is with conference calls. A shared unit, not a primary desk, it has a dedicated computer to which users log in. But the latest advance comes from Stir — a kinetic desk that raises from sitting height to standing height. “You set goals for how much you want to stand — per day, per week, per session. It knows when you’re there, and it tracks your time so that if you travel it will prompt you as to how many more hours you have left to stand,” Goodman relates. It will pulse slightly to alert the user, then rise to the predetermined height for the set period of time. And it will learn its user’s preferences as to what time of day the user prefers to do sitting or standing work. Goodman says he is now showing the Stir Kinetic Desk to insurance carriers, talking to them about giving an incentive of some kind to people who use the desk. It is recognized that standing improves health over static sitting, but “just because you lead a person to a standing-height desk doesn’t mean he will stand,” Goodman observes. The difference with the kinetic desk is “it is guaranteed adoption.”
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PROGRAMS PROMOTE WELLNESS & HEALTH
“When you walk in to a workplace, you intuitively evaluate the organization’s culture, purpose, attitudes and beliefs before you even have a chance to intellectually process the data.”
“The trend in wellness and preventive care is huge,” says Frances Ducar, president of Healthcare Solutions Centers, crediting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. And David W. Allazetta, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Arizona, observes, “More employers are recognizing they can support their employees’ desire to improve their health, and by doing —Adam Goodman so can create a happier, healthier workforce while reducing costs for employees and the company.” In this regard, he has found that employers are searching for ways to decrease the trend of rising healthcare costs. Because lifestyle choices and management of chronic conditions have had a major impact on these rising costs, employers are recognizing the importance of consumer decision-making. “Employers are increasingly turning to innovative programs, such as the use of incentives, to engage their employees in making healthy lifestyle and medical care decisions,” he says, naming premium reduction, direct financial contributions to health savings accounts, gym reimbursements and merchant gift cards as among options for financial incentives. Employers are also using wellness programs to raise awareness, educate and support people in making good lifestyle choices, according to Jeff Stelnik, senior VP of strategy, sales and marketing for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. The more highly visible they are, the more likely they are to be successful. Importantly, he notes that support by senior management is also a critical factor in the success of wellness programs. “Year-round programming and activities, incentives and strong communications also play a role in a wellness program’s success,” he says, sharing that BCBSAZ offers quarterly health challenges with prizes and employee recognition through internal communications programs. Noting that wellness programs require commitment from everyone — “especially the employees” — to have a lasting effect, Stelnik says BSBSAZ consults with employers to design their medical benefits and wellness programs. “It’s important that they are integrated.”
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