12 minute read
THE OFFICE
So far, we have focused on understanding what neurodiversity is, how it is experienced, and how it relates to the work environment, health and equitability. We now move from understanding to practice. We will look at the trends of how we create office spaces, and highlight the common pitfalls encountered when designing for neurodiversity. In addition, we will look in more detail at what is an enabling or disabling environment. As each person will have a unique experience of a space, rather than provide specific guidelines, it is more effective to create a set of principles that leave room for bespoke defining elements depending on the users and type of office space. We will be moving past the harmful stereotypes and look at designing for the equitable inclusion of neurodiverse people in the employment ecosystem.
TRENDS
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It is important to root the office environment in macro-societal trends that will have an impact on the lived experience of neurodiverse people and their experience of the office. Two key trends have been identified: the climate crisis and hybrid working.
THE CLIMATE CRISIS
The climate crisis is the result of the changes in the climate patterns due to contamination that is depleting and changing the biodiversity of the Earth.82 For instance, it is predicted that 15% of species are at threat of extinction due to urbanisation and pollution, which are major contributors to the climate crisis.28 Climate change impacts all aspects of human life, including how we execute work. In the UK we are already seeing disruption to supply chains, energy supplies, housing stability and transport,83 and there are even predictions that entire coastal towns will become uninhabitable in the very near future.84
The various changes that will come from the climate crisis will affect the daily lives of people. Below we delineate a potential set of consequences.
Extreme weather and mobility
This intersection will pose the most significant changes for people who are neurodiverse, as extreme weather (flooding, heat, cold, wind) can change how a person navigates an environment and so affect their ability to access resources such as employment. Here are some examples of what this could look like.
• Flooding can affect transport routes, access to the office building or even the safety of a person’s home.85
– What resources can be provided by an employer that can mitigate the stresses arising from difficulties
Mitigation against extreme weather events vs climate impacts
It must be recognised that any design solution must both mitigate against an extreme weather event as well as have no further impact on the planet. For example, cooling and heating a space through innovative insulation solutions such as a green roof rather than installing an HVAC system. ■
with wayfinding and navigation in the workplace due to flooding?
– What transport alternatives can be provided by the employer when flooding impedes a person’s commute (e.g. the provision of a taxi if a person becomes stranded in the middle of their commute)?
– What provisions can the employer make for a person to work from home in the case of extreme weather conditions, and to ensure that a person’s home office is more adequate?
– What are the provisions made in the office building should it become flooded and inaccessible?
– In the event of an inability to access transport to reach a workplace, what systems are set up that allow a person to readjust with ease and not experience undue stress that can take hours to recover from?
• Heatwaves will become longer and more prevalent in the
UK, affecting people’s quality of sleep and personal comfort, as well as the office environment.86
– How will it be possible to cool offices without relying too much on HVAC systems the use of which can add to the climate crisis?
– How can green spaces and other outdoor spaces be improved to provide shade and thus cooling during heat waves? It is important that people can use these spaces all year round.
– In the event of extreme heat on a given day, how do employers, building managers and place makers provide solutions that enable a person to keep to a routine that involves outdoor activities?
• Extreme cold weather events will also increase. In the winter of 2021/22 alone, the UK faced three major storms that caused mass power cuts.
– How will neurodiverse people working from home be supported when there is a power cut?
– How will the usual support provided by the office space be altered during extreme cold weather?
– How will outdoor spaces be altered so that they are still accessible in periods of extreme cold weather?
– How will entrances to the building need to be changed to make it physically safe to enter the building and keep the cold out?
HYBRID WORKING
Interviewees
Hybrid working is a model of workforce management that allows typically desk-based employees to work from a variety of locations and perform their work without disruptions. Companies across the world have been embracing this method for many years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has turned a niche employee benefit into a mainstream work model. While some firms embrace a remote-first approach87 and others an office-first approach, hybrid working appears to be a solid middle ground that meets both employee life-satisfaction goals and business productivity, and there are no overt rules other than those designed between employees and management. As a result, many companies have sought to reduce their office footprint and shift the style of work that takes place in the office.88 Currys, the global technology company, recently announced it was moving from its traditional headquarters in Acton, West London, to WeWork flexible office space in Waterloo, with the company’s CEO Alex Baldock quoted as saying, ‘We are really excited to unlock the potential of truly hybrid working and believe that being innovative today will prepare us for how we adapt to new ways of working in the future.’89 The use of office space is becoming increasingly intensive, with less square footage being used by more people for more tasks in a time-intensive manner. GoSpace has developed software that enables companies to make the most effective use of their office space by adjusting space allocations to meet individual and team needs, and so minimise their impact on the environment.90
This shift in the way people work poses key questions for real estate developers, managers, designers and occupiers.
• Will this intensification of the use of office space make it an excluding environment for those with sensory sensitivities?
• Will the overt scheduling of people reduce the ability of neurodivergent (and normative) employee to destress and rebalance after a commute, and then prepare themselves to be productive?
Copyright Overbury
• Are amenities being introduced to buildings that are designed to cater for those who need to destress, as well as amenities for those seeking entertainment, culture and lifestyle?
Responding to the needs of neurodiverse employees means considering the negative externalities that can come with rushing to adopt innovative solutions.
Considerations
• A neurodivergent employee should be given the option to have a digital walkthrough of a new work environment, so that they can prepare by creating their own landmarks and not having to guess on the spot.
• Occupier layouts should account for those who need to be in a place for longer than their ‘allocated’ time. For example, quiet workrooms that are located away from entrances and collaboration rooms could be provided. For smaller buildings, occupiers and property managers should discuss with employees the design and management of shared amenities such as rooftops or lounges.
• If a building/floor becomes busier in activity, its design should become more muted through aspects such as dimmer lighting, softer carpets (that absorb sound) and simpler colour palettes.
HOUSING AND THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS
The quality of the neighbourhood in which people live has an influence on their health and wellbeing. Environments with clean air and the absence of noise and light pollution can contribute to a neurodivergent person’s ability to restore their biological systems. This is important for those in the neurodiversity community as they need to rest and recover from the stressors of their commute and working day, and also creates a feedback loop back to the office ecosystem. A person who is more rested will have a higher capacity to mitigate the stressors at work; and, equally, a workspace with a lower stress burden will allow a person to rest better at home.
Another stressor is the ‘cost of living crisis’, which can have a psychological effect on people that triggers the physiological stress response. Many people are worried about being able to afford basic necessities, and this can have two consequences. First, it can affect the agency a person has to voice their needs in the work setting, due to a fear of being fired or not being promoted. This can put people in the neurodiversity community in situations that cause high levels of stress. Second, the mental stress that comes from financial worry can have an effect on sleep, digestion and general health, which can lead to sick days or contribute to burnout syndrome. Lastly, as detailed in this report, there is great insecurity for neurodivergent people with regard to staying in employment in companies that have not made the necessary cultural changes, resulting in them being dismissed or feeling forced to leave. Furthermore, a person may have moved to a particular area to take that role, and committed to a financial agreement for housing that puts them at risk of stress and ill-health unless their next employer offers similar financial opportunities.
On 13 April 2022, the UK government’s Committee of Public Accounts released a report91 stating that ‘Despite record rent increases, 13% of rented homes “pose serious threat to the health and safety of renters” – costing the NHS an estimated £340 million a year’. Due to market forces, the challenge of finding a safe, healthy, well-located home is tough for many, but the consequences of poor housing for neurodivergent and immunocompromised people are far worse. Ending up in a home that is unsafe and unhealthy, and in an area where there is air, noise, light and heat pollution poses a health risk that can be disabling for these people.
Understanding how the housing and cost of living crises affect neurodiverse people can help contextualise the need for supportive office space. In other words, neither suitable housing nor a suitable working environment is merely a ‘nice to have’.
This economic challenge poses a few key questions for the built environment sector:
• Is locating a company’s office space in a central business district a suitable choice when the cost-of-living increases and the high cost of housing in or near to such an area means that employees must choose between increased
Copyright Benjamin Elliott | Unsplash
commuting times or sacrifices in the quality of their homes?
• What is the role of employers and investors in setting standards for housing?
• How does an employer/investor ensure that good environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) structures are in place to mitigate against the public risks of business and open markets?
Considerations
• Many large businesses and occupiers employ residential relocation consultants to support transitions to new areas. Can this service be introduced during employment procedures to support the wellbeing of employees?
• Micro-budgets and support for home improvements such as double insulation, black-out blinds and advice on home economics are simple fixes that mitigate against urban stressors.
• Special travel allowances could be considered if an office is located in an area that has a low diversity of transport options. For offices in London, TfL’s WebCAT PTAL scoring system (a measure which rates locations by distance from frequent public transport services) can be used to identify whether this is an issue.92
ENABLING AND DISABLING ENVIRONMENTS
DISABLING ENVIRONMENTS
Before looking at the principles of an enabling environment, we first identify the various factors that can make a space disabling to neurodiverse people. A disabling environment is one that does not offer adequate physical elements to support the work of neurodiverse people, resulting in a disabling of their abilities. For example, a steep staircase that has no handrails will disable the ability of a person with dyspraxia to move freely up and down the staircase.
ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS
An enabling office space provides all users with the physiological, cognitive and psychological means to fairly participate in all aspects of employment.
The boxes in the opposite column list the characteristics of disabling and enabling environments; the lists were compiled from the responses given by interviewees in the interviews. ■
Characteristics of disabling spaces
• They curtail or impede the ability of the user.
• They create inequitability through creating obstructions to or reducing the ability of the user.
• They create unnecessary stress for the user.
• They do not provide opportunities for self-autonomy, as they reduce choice.
• They reduce the dignity of the user, which means reducing their self-worth or value. ■
"I don’t like places that feel cluttered or where I can’t make any changes." "An open-plan office – could not concentrate or focus, because of the lights, noise and all of the activity. It made me feel overwhelmed and needing a calming space." "I don’t like ambiguity, where things are not properly or clearly laid out."
Interviewees
Characteristics of enabling spaces
Equity – A space that shows an understanding of the root causes that influence people’s needs.
Safety – A space that provides a sense of psychological safety to people that they will not be made vulnerable by poor decisionmaking.
Intuitive – A space that is created with intent rather than ego, that is clear to use and that does not leave a person guessing.
Healing
• A space that lessens the biological stress burden through the design of comforts and physical elements, ensuring environmental consistencies and freedom for all people to use the space based on their personal needs. • A space that shows an understanding of how various physical comforts can support mental and physical health.
Diverse – A space that is agile and intentionally offers a variety of options to meet the varying cognitive demands (social, restorative, concentration) on a given day.
Dignity – A space that allows a person to belong, to know that they are no longer othered or made vulnerable.
Ecological – Design solutions should not place any further burden on the Earth’s systems, and should play a role in mitigating the climate crisis. ■
"Create varied spaces or zones; do not create universal design practices." "A space should be able to be altered and design should be iterative to adjust to the various users interacting with the space at various times." "It would be great to have autistic pods, where I could go if I needed time away from the work area and where I could control the sensorial experience."
Interviewees
