Steelcase research reveals workplaces not designed for brains

New company research reveals the workplace can be designed to mitigate distractions and better manage the ebb and flow of workers’ attention
 
Dubai UAE, November 17, 2015:  Workers across the world are overwhelmed by near constant distractions, in large part due to a lack of understanding on how to manage attention in the workplace. These are the major findings of the latest Steelcase research, a meta-analysis on neuroscience and cognitive research completed by the company over the past year. The complete work integrates discoveries from neuroscience experts with the organization’s own ongoing investigations into workers’ behaviors and the changing nature of work 

“The average worker is interrupted or distracted every three minutes and it takes them 23 minutes to return to a task after being interrupted,” said Donna Flynn, Vice President of Steelcase WorkSpace Futures. “Distractions and the inability to focus negatively affects productivity, engagement, wellbeing and overall performance in organizations. We long to be more effective, but the harder we try, the more tired our brains become. Attention meltdowns are epidemic because workers do not understand what attention is, how to manage it or have access to the best places to support their task.”

Findings from the work reveal the brain has finite energy capacity, and uses 20% of the body’s energy. This makes it physiologically impossible for anyone to engage in eight straight hours of controlled, or focused, attention and meet any quality or quantity outputs. Attention has a natural rhythm throughout the day. Additional findings discuss the importance of mindfulness to train the brain and the damaging effects of multitasking. 

“By changing our existing habits, and the spaces we use, we can gain more control of our brains and our lives. As we become more knowledgeable about how our brains work and more attuned to the ebb and flow of our attention, it becomes easier to recognize what our brains need when. We can create spaces that help people focus, regenerate and inspire and activate their brains and ultimately think better,” continued Flynn. 

Steelcase researchers and designers have identified three brain modes that each requires distinct behaviors and settings. Balancing these settings throughout the day can help workers better manage the ebb and flow of their attention. 

Focus: Deep focus requires avoiding unwelcome external and internal distractions. Whether the distractions are external or internal, every time we switch our attention we burn through finite neural resources and increase opportunities for the limbic system to hijack our focus. Additional research from Steelcase reveals 66% of people can concentrate easily in the workplace, while only 58% can concentrate in teams without being interrupted. In research completed by the company, access to places for focused work is the number one worker issue in North America, with 40% of workers making the complaint. A separate poll for the Middle East points to similar results - 35% of workers cannot concentrate at work, citing loud conversations (16%), talkative colleagues (15%) and email overload (15%) as the primary distractors. The respondents listed silence, privacy and fresh air as the top three conditions required for concentration. Workplace should include places designed as retreats away from noise distractions and frequent interruptions.

Regeneration and Inspiration: It’s important to recognize that distractions can be opportunities to give our brain the timeout it needs and then let our minds go where they will. Although daydreaming has taken on generally negative connotations in the work world, as it turns out our brains are still working when they wander, even though we feel like we’re not. Easy access to colleagues, nourishment and places to rest the mind help cognitively overwhelmed workers relax. According to the Middle East poll, 55% of the respondents reported that work-related pressure causes them to feel stressed and overwhelmed at work and 59% stated that their offices do not offer spaces where workers can relax and rejuvenate. 

Activation: Movement engages the brain. A study found that those who worked from a treadmill desk were 34.9% more likely to answer a comprehension question correctly compared to those who sat in a chair. The results of the Middle East poll, however, revealed that 29% of the respondents do not have the opportunity to move around their workspace or change postures. Steelcase research recommends providing easily accessible settings that encourage workers to move through the workday to activate their minds and also take care of their bodies. 

Andy Morris, Steelcase Sales Director Middle East, said: “A key takeaway from our study is that when designing an office space, we cannot neglect the workings of the brain. There is no single type of optimal work setting - the right balance needs to be found between working collaboratively and in privacy, between having moments of extreme productivity and opportunities to recharge and unwind, and between stillness and motion. This goes far beyond the traditional notion of open versus private offices for successful employee engagement.”   

By recognizing the limitations of our brains as well as its incredible potential, it’s possible to create workplaces that help people think better and, in so doing, optimize the performance, and the wellbeing, of each person, every team and entire enterprises.