Positivity @ the Work Place: Re-Thinking What’s Relevant for Better Work Place Design

By Vistasp Bhagwagar

The Book is All About Better Work spaces for People in a Post Pandemic Period. It Provides easy reading to all those interested in the Design & Ideology of the new work space by taking a real time look at the issues of today and the relevance of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It answers all the Questions:
• What are the problems in Work spaces?
• How do we Address these?
• How do we revisit Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in a Post Pandemic World?
• How do we Design more meaningful Work spaces?
• What is the Future of the Post pandemic Work place?
• Think Like an Architect: 30 principles for Workspace “Design Process”
• Think Like An Architect: 10 principles for Workspace “Process Design”
Great read for all especially HR, FM, Designers, Architects, Students and others interested in Work Space Design.
Written by an Architect with over 30 Years of Work space Experience and Expertise, this book is a must read for all!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Jul 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781543707779

Vistasp Bhagwagar

Written by an Indian Architect who graduated from an eminent School of Planning & Architecture New Delhi with Two Gold medals and who went on to do Urban Design from Oxford University, UK and practiced almost 30 years in Work space Design, this book is all about creating a legacy and Knowledge bank for the next generation that is interested in Work space Design, as also for anyone who wants to get into the mind space of an architect and all that he has to deal with for creating meaningful and positive work spaces.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Vistasp Bhagwagar.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

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The Interpretation of the Cover:

The Cover Denotes the PLUS for Positivity @ The Work Place thru Combination of very many factors covered in this books such as, but not limited to:

A: Resimercial Design (Homing from Work)

B: The Hybrid Model (Working From Home)

C: The Office as the Collaborative Club

D: Inverting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (@ Work Place)

E: The Human Centric World

F: The SOCIAL Aspect of the Workspace: WE

G: Flexibility & Agility @ The Workspace

H: The Multiplicity of Seating Options

I: The Private Work Zone: The ME Zone

J: The Stepped Arena for Group ideation

K: The Group Huddle, Training & Brain-storming

L: Biophilic Design: The Outside Inside

Cover Design: AVA Design Pvt Ltd, India

CONTENTS

The Foreword

The Preface

The Introduction

Chapter 1

Problems @ The Work Place

Introduction to Chapter 1

1.1 The Story of 9-2-5: The Work Zombie

1.2 The Lack of Purpose

1.3 FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

1.4 The Factory Like office

1.5 The People Recipe Problem

1.6 Burnout (Pre-Covid)

1.7 Covid and its Impact

Chapter 2

Revisiting Maslow’s Theory

Introduction to Chapter 2

2.1 The Maslow’s Theory of Motivation

2.2 Maslow Re-Visited (Post Pandemic)

2.3 The Post Pandemic Massive Change

2.4 The Post Pandemic Questions to Ask

Chapter 3

Self-Fulfilment Needs @ Work

Introduction to Chapter 3

3.1 The PERMA Model

3.2 The Ikigai & Golden Circle

3.3 The Importance of EQ (Emotional Quotient)

3.4 Concept of FLOW at the Work Place

3.5 Self Determination Theory

3.6 And Brief Theories…

Chapter 4

Psychological Needs @ Work

Introduction to Chapter 4

4.1 Ease of Living Index & World Happiness Report

4.2 Ease of Doing Business

4.3 Great Places to Work

4.4 GRIHA Norms

4.5 LEEDS Ratings

4.6 Well Standards

4.7 Wellness & Wellbeing

Chapter 5

Basic Needs 1: Better Work Space Design Process

Introduction to Chapter 5

5.1: Understand

Step 1: Understand Client Requirements

Step 2: Understand the TWINS: Brand Identity & Aspirations

Step 3: Understand the Site Attributes & Challenges

Step 4: Gap identification & Ideation

5.2: Plan (everything to perfection)

Step 5: Focus on The Appropriate Theme

Step 6: Design for Legible Circulation

Step 7: Focus on Massing & Volumes

Step 8: Sort Out Logical Wet Zoning

Step 9: Design Social Spaces

Step 10: Create FUN SPACES: Café, Break Outs & Recreation Spaces

Step 11: Ensure Support Spaces:

Step 12: Design a Variety of Zones

Step 13: Check on Space Optimisation & Balance Review

Step 14: Ensure a Definitive Colour Scheme

Step 15: Create Multi-Functional Spaces

Step 16: Plan for Future Growth

5.3 Layer

Step 17: Ensure Security & Safety Compliance

Step 18: Plan for Vibrancy & Buzz

Step 19: Ensure Glocalization thru AV Technology

Step 20: Provide for Technology Layering

Step 21: Check Lighting Lux levels

Step 22: Design for Acoustic Concerns

5.4 EXTRA Concerns

Step 23: Grow in a Biophilic Approach

Step 24: Manage Sustainability Concerns

Step 25: Ensure Inclusivity in Design

Step 26: Build in Durability & Serviceability

Step 27: Promote Local Art & Artifacts

Step 28: Soften the Workplace Furnishings

Step 29: Plan Out Meaningful Signages

5.5 The X Factor

Step 30: The USP that Sells

The 30 Step Road map: Work-spaces Design Checklist: UPLEX

Chapter 6

Basic Needs 2: Better Work Space Process Design

Introduction to Chapter 6:

6.1 The Sign off

Step 1: Signing Off the Design

Step 2: Sign offs for Materials & Finishing Sampling

Step 3: Sign offs for Product Selections:

6.2 Handhold (The Client team)

Step 4: Record, Aid & Advise

Step 5: Update Quality and Progress Reports

6.3 Attend Client Concerns

Step 6: Manage Change

Step 7: Manage Cost Escalations

6.4 Persuade & Assure

Step 8: Involve in Change Management

6.5 Educate the Client

Step 9: Handle the Process of Handover

Step 10: Celebrate Success: The Joy of Completion

The 10 Step Road map: Work-space Process Checklist: SHAPE

Chapter 7

Getting IDEOLOGY Right @ Work place

Introduction to Chapter 7

7.1 The Right Work Space Stake Holders

7.2 The Right Work Culture

7.3 The Right Identity V/s Aspirations Debate

7.4 The Right Future Proof Way of Working: Agility & ABW

7.5 The Right Numbers Game

7.6 Doing It Right: The Digital Workplace

7.7 The Notion of The Work Club

7.8 The Future Right Agenda: Green to Blue:

Endnote

Acknowledgements

Support Tashana

About The Author

Your Thoughts

Bibliography

Good Design is NOT Google Searching!

Good Design is about Soul-Searching!

And then Designing A La carte!

Vistaspeak

The Foreword

Author Vistasp has such a rich experience to share with his vast 30 years of Experience in Work Space Architecture -Thank you Vistasp!

The knowledge, The Learnings, The Journey, The Evolution of Design at Workplace!

Today, it is a Fortune to get the insights HOW we all should look at the Future of the Workplace!

Who better than Vistasp!

Pandemic / New Mindset - How do we want to leverage the workspace?

Positivity @ Workplace -amazing thinking to bring this on top of the elements we should all work with, at the conception stage of space planning.

Maslow’s theory of Motivation! the way we create design space to enhance and add Motivational quotient!

Happiness/Culture will drive us all to Re-Think the design and Build from here.

I recommend all to Learn from this amazing collection of insight and experience sharing!

Wishing you the very best.

Best wishes

Pinny Mann

Senior Portfolio Manager India, Microsoft India

(She is a Corporate real Estate leader empowering people and organisations with customer obsession outlook)

The Preface

In a year when the Word Positive has mostly had negative connotations, this book is all about bringing Positivity into the work place, where we typically spend the most meaningful waking hours of our lives!

Having spent 30 years in the line of Work Space Design, this book is an attempt to demystify and decode the RIGHT DESIGN Approaches to bringing Positivity in the Work space; something that my team and I have been conscientiously doing for decades! Multiple awards, seminars, juries and post Covid Webinars later, my friends have convinced me that this knowledge needs to be passed on to those who seek to build on a long journey in Work Space design! I started from Zero with no guru or mentor in this field.

I hate the word Offices and have gone to great lengths to ensure its minimal usage across the Book. Offices denote a Medieval Mindset, akin to factories of the Industrial age, and should no longer be used in Work space parlance, particularly Post Pandemic. The Office signifies a formal place, which it no longer is meant to be; the Workspace, in contrast, could be anywhere: home, office or somewhere in between!

Work Space design has evolved over the last thirty years: in how we conceive of it, in how we design it, in how we expect the end users to use it. This is because much has changed in what work is all about today; how it is done and where it needs to be done! The Book revisits Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs as a basis for understanding Human needs at the work place and interestingly advocates an inverted look at this profound theory in contemporary times.

While, as a Work Space Architect, I do not claim to be a Work Space Psychologist or a Human resources Expert or a Peoples Excellence Strategist: I can claim to have worked with the best of these categories, over the last 30 years! All my clients and colleagues have been my teachers. The Book presents an Architects’ understanding & Point of View of what works and certainly what could work if applied in parts, to creating better positivity @ the work place.

As Architects / Work Space Designers, our tribe are trained to conjure up space-based solutions that can promote positivity in mental and physical health at the workplace. However, they fail to deliver, if the design ideations are implemented in a stand-alone manner, that does not align with a holistic and comprehensive approach to wellness & wellbeing at the work place. This book looks at creating positivity @ the work space by using design as a holistic device to advance physical, operational, and social aspects of human health, productivity, and wellbeing.

This Book is also about passing the Baton of Knowledge forward to the New Generation of Architects, Designers and all those interested in what, why and how Positivity in Work spaces can benefit its end users. The Book addresses all the concepts thus far that are relevant to my mind, as well as approaches that make sense to do justice to Work space design. The book is written in a Simple Structured manner and can be browsed across any chapter, though it benefits a start to finish read for the first-time reader! Use this Book as a Play book (a Friend, Philosopher & Guide) that allows you to prioritise what one must do and often, what one must not… to make our Work Spaces Positive!

Enjoy it and write back to me on [e-mail]

Vistasp Bhagwagar

March 2021

The Introduction

"We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us," said Sir Winston Churchill in his speech to the meeting in the House of Lords, October 28, 1943. How true, even today.

Almost three Fourths of a century later, we can say the same applies to our Work spaces! The Way we conceive them, shape them, and inhabit them affects the levels of engagement and productivity of a Work Space! After all, Given the amount of time we spend at work, it’s worth working out what needs to be done to make the work space experience positive.

This book does not refer to work spaces as offices. The very connotation of an Office denotes exclusivity: The Corner office or The Cabin are often discriminatory and suggest only the Part, Not the Whole!

Work space Designing is about being inclusive, Equitable and consistent: from the receptionist to the corner cabin and the highest echelons of the organisation! It needs to tie up all the parts like beads on a necklace.

Why is this Book So relevant today?

Because it takes a renewed Post Covid view of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in contemporary Post Covid Times and repositions the way we look at the theory!

Because it insists that the Physical Work space, post covid, is as important if not more important than any other human need, at the work place.

Because, with people wanting to get back to collaborate & socialise at work, we need to understand what makes these spaces positive and how relevant is the work-space today.

Because the Future of the Work-space, as an ideology, needs to be re-looked at with new lenses and with a new purpose, if it’s to exist, or remain relevant!

This book makes some promises: it’s a first that ensures you enter the mind of an architect and understand the complexities that he deals with in terms of how Work spaces need to be designed! It also hand holds you to the many layers of thought and vision that need to over lay to make an idea fructify and bear fruit! Undoubtedly, the most important aspect of this book is to break down the many concepts that are relevant to designing meaningful work spaces so that the end user also can make a better and more informed choice.

It talks of the Process of Design and also the Design of the Process to achieve Greater Positivity at the Work Place!

In that sense, this book is all about the end user and how to make a Work place more Positive, Engaging and hence Productive! It is not just for Architects, Designers but also for Clients, HR and FM Leaders and Visionaries who shape the offices where others work! It is also for the guy sitting quietly in the corner seat of any office who yearns for a better office and presents this book to his boss as they plan a new office for the future!

But whatever the case, the book makes a strong case for Architects to be central to the design process and process design for the new Post Covid Work place!

Chapter 1

Problems @ The Work Place

1.1 The Story of 9-2-5: The Work Zombie

1.2 The Lack of Purpose

1.3 FOMO: The Buzz

1.4 The Factory office

1.5 The People Recipe gone wrong

1.6 Burnout (Pre Covid)

1.7 Covid and Its Impact

"Leaders, think and talk about Solutions.

Followers, think and talk about the problems."

Brian Tracy, Internationally Acclaimed Author of 21 books on Self Improvement

Introduction to Chapter 1

Let’s look at the Developed World!

The Harvard Business Review talks about there being too much work place stress and cut throat competition, that not just harms productivity, but is also counterproductive to engagement, wellness and well-being.

Even in the pre pandemic era, as per research (Seppala & Cameron, 2015) whilst many people believe that stress and competition, at work, pushes towards better, faster and improved performance, there is a major price to pay:

1. First, health care expenditures at high-pressure organizations are nearly 50% greater than at other similar places. The American Psychological Association estimates that more than $500 billion is siphoned off from the U.S. economy because of workplace stress, and 550 million workdays are lost each year as well thru stress at work. 60% to 80% of workplace accidents are attributed to stress, and it’s estimated that more than 80% of doctor visits are due to stress. Workplace stress has been linked to health problems ranging from metabolic syndrome to cardiovascular disease and mortality.

2. Second is the cost of disengagement. While a cut-throat environment and a culture of fear can ensure engagement (and sometimes even excitement) for some time, research suggests that the inevitable stress it creates will likely lead to disengagement over the long term. Engagement in work — which is associated with feeling valued, secure, supported, and respected — is generally negatively associated with a high-stress, cut-throat culture. And disengagement is costly. In studies by the Queens School of Business and by the Gallup Organization, disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, and 60% more errors and defects. In organizations with low employee engagement scores, they experienced 18% lower productivity, 16% lower profitability, 37% lower job growth, and 65% lower share price over time. Importantly, businesses with highly engaged employees enjoyed 100% more job applications.

3. Lack of loyalty is a third cost. Research shows that workplace stress leads to an increase of almost 50% in voluntary turnover. People go on the job market, decline promotions, or resign. And the turnover costs associated with recruiting, training, lowered productivity, lost expertise, and so forth, are significant. The Center for American Progress estimates that replacing a single employee costs approximately 20% of that employee’s salary.

This section builds on what are the work place problems and what are the present-day stresses that cause these issues. First the Story…

1.1 The Story of 9-2-5: The Work Zombie

It really did not matter, and in many ways, was perfect for the zombie, as it allowed him to move around the place without being seen. The zombie blew the candles to his fifth year in business at this place! The office was also five years old and the owners did not even realise this achievement. This did not bother the zombie so long as he managed to find his prey!

Five years ago, with much fanfare the office was inaugurated and the first prey for the Work zombie was Adrian, a