Aberley White Paper Healthy Workplaces and Work Cultures

PREPARED BY Aberley Limited CONTACT Kevin Reader KevinR@aberley.com DATE 09 November 2016
Aberley Limited Cedar Court 5 Parkway Porters Wood St Albans Hertfordshire AL3 6PA 2017 167 5757 www.aberley.com
Healthy Work Places and Work Cultures
Developing a World Class Workforce by providing a World Class Workplace
and Culture
Introduction
The Green Council report on Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices,
stated that, overwhelmingly, research clearly demonstrates that the
design of an office has a material impact on the health, wellbeing and
productivity of its occupants. Whilst to many of us this would seem
obvious it hasn’t been translated into significant investment in
environments that tackle the impact of a poorly performing workplace on
its occupants.
Could this be down to the lack of measurable data on the impact on
people of the buildings performance and working culture? The facts are
that sitting within organisations are huge amounts of relevant information
that could be used to assess the tangible impacts of its workplace on the
performance of its people, they need proper collation and assessment and
turning into report that can be used to formulate an approach and return
on investment strategy, that tackles the well-being issues.
In addition to the environmental impacts on people’s health and well-
being are cultural ones too. The recent announcement by the Faculty of
Dental Surgery stating that eating cake and biscuits at work was fuelling
obesity and poor oral health, is only one aspect of poor understanding of
the cultures within workplaces and there potential detrimental impact on
the work force. These ones are much harder to assess and deal with but
Google offer their staff healthy food options at the workplace, which
would suggest this area must not be overlooked.
Context
Current medical and academic research is providing a wealth of evidence
of links from workplace environments and cultures to poor health and
performance. For the employee these are impacting their personal heath,
well-being and morale. For the employer these are impacting business
outcomes through poor productivity, significant absenteeism, early
retirement and health related claims.
We have not yet evolved to cope with working in large numbers in sealed
buildings deprived of fresh air and natural light. The result is an
undetected epidemic of workplace well-being issues, these have been
attributed to:
 Lack of job security
 Management bullying
 Racial & social tensions
 The Government
 Poor workplace design

Recent research by Reading University, Cromwell Hospital, US
Department of Labour Occupational Safety & Health and other
universities, however shows that 60-70% of this problem can be found in
the workplace environment.
Individual research has highlighted that there are problems in the modern
workplace, however it’s the combination of the environmental stressors
on the human physiology that now need to be considered.
By understanding the implications these are having on an organisations
workforce you can provide a solution based on measurable data, focusing
on solving key issues and delivering the optimum environment.
This optimised solution will provide a healthier workplace that treats
workers like athletes, supplying them with an environment that enables
them to perform better and deliver a first class service. The result will be
a space that will increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, improve
morale and deliver greater profitability for the organisation its staff and
customers.
Healthy Workplace
Information technologies, air conditioning and artificial lighting have all
contributed to growing health problems in the workforce. Many of these
claims are quoting stress as the cause. The seriousness of the issue was
recognised by the Government in a press release.
Quote from HSE
"500 people a week leave the labour market for ever because of work
related illness. Every week some, 3,000 people move from long term sick
leave to incapacity benefit with 90% never returning to work again. The
cost of work related ill health is estimated at around £10bn per annum."
Research has been undertaken by leading institutions around the world,
including Reading University, who are one of the key research centres in
this field. They identified specific areas which give rise to stress and
illness in the office.
The key causes of stress and illness in the office are:
 Poor Lighting
 Poor Air quality
 Poor Air-temperature
 Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)
 Synthetic fibres
 Bad workplace ergonomics
 Poor Acoustics
 Lack of visual stimulation

There is a growing requirement upon employers to fulfil a duty of care to
their employees including the mitigation of potentially harmful conditions
in the workplace.
More and more employers are increasingly concerned about the health of
their employees at work in order to:
 Maximise innovation and productivity
 Reduce absenteeism
 Provide an improved working environment to attract and maintain a
healthy staff
 Reduce litigation and claims due to stress related illness
Solutions
One of the leading researchers in the field of and the related research is
Professor Clements-Croome at the University of Reading. Together with
environmental consultants, he has conducted trials conducted in real
office working environments in many different types of office buildings.
Professor Clements-Croome’s research shows that by addressing all of the
above areas which create stress, the incidence of adverse health
symptoms can be reduced by up to 80%, giving productivity increases of
up to 30%.
It is the first three of these areas, lighting, air quality and a lack of
thermal individual control which are main issues which are most readily
acknowledged, by office staff and experts as the principal sources of ill-
health. EMR emitted from computers and mobile telephones is another
possibility but the evidence is still in debate.
By providing solutions in the three areas of lighting, air quality and
thermal control, independent tests clearly show that adverse health
symptoms in the office can be reduced by over 40% giving increases in
productivity of around 15%.
Lighting
The adverse effects of poor lighting can be readily solved with the use of
full spectrum, polarized, lighting which is now starting to be installed as
standard in new office buildings where the productivity and health of staff
is being put at the forefront of office design.
Clean Air
The use of an air purifier/ioniser removes dust and other airborne
contaminants and replenishes and maintains the balance of positive and
negative ions in the air.
This has been shown to improve people’s health and lead to increased
productivity. The graph below is from the BT Kingstanding pilot project
showing productivity indicators demonstrating the combined effect of

polarised lighting, air ionisation and filtration over a three month moving
average. The rise in sick days shown was due to failure to change air
conditioning filters as scheduled.
Diagram One BT Kingstanding
CO2 Levels
The build-up of Carbon Dioxide within workplaces and schools has been
shown to cause drowsiness reduction in decision making and productivity
even at levels that are well below industry standards. As organisations
attempt to put more people into buildings and increase utilisation this will
become even more important to monitor and regulate.
Electro-Magnetic Radiation
The effects of EMR are still in debate and there is no certainty how EMR
affects health. It is vital we keep reviewing the research and cases where
ill effects are reported.
Synthetic Fibres
Synthetic fibres from carpets and upholstery are a major source of
respiratory and skin irritation. They also retain a high electrostatic
charge. Carpets can retain up to 3 thousand volts and the back of an
upholstered chair can have 5 thousand volts accumulated charge. The
combined effect of this high static environment is to increase the level of
body charge, which in turn affects skin sensitivity and the immune and
hormonal system.
The solution lies in negative ionisers to get rid of static charge and filter
out airborne fibres; Carpets and chairs can be earthed; Carpets can use
continuous filament fibres to avoid static.
45.0%
50.0%
55.0%
60.0%
65.0%
70.0%
75.0%
80.0%
85.0%
90.0%
95.0%
100.0%
105.0%
110.0%
CALLS PER DAY 100.0% 103.7% 103.6% 104.1% 104.0% 104.0% 102.7% 101.3% 102.2% 105.4% 106.40%
HANDLING TIME 100.0% 98.9% 98.7% 98.0% 97.4% 96.9% 97.3% 98.6% 99.3% 99.1% 98.70%
SICK DAYS 100.0% 81.7% 73.6% 56.1% 49.5% 49.9% 53.4% 55.7% 60.5% 58.1% 51.20%
Base
June-
Aug
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
(Severe Air Conditioning problems)

Workplace Ergonomics
90% of lower back pain comes from poor sitting posture. Over 80% of
office workers report varying combinations of pain in the back, neck,
shoulders, arms and hands. Poor posture at work comes from the
tendency when working with a PC to sit for long periods in one position.
This places static loads on the body. These in turn create muscle tension
in supporting the load which causes pain from the toxin build up in the
muscle fibre and sinews.
The solution is a chair that is designed to support the crest of the pelvic
bone and allows the seat to tilt forward. This combined with a height
adjustable sit stand desk means that the working posture can be
optimised and altered during the course of the day.
Acoustics
In an open plan office noise is a major source of stress. The problem is
that many a modern office is a large glass and concrete box. Glass and
concrete are excellent sound reflectors. However the main problem is not
simply one of distracting conversations or even the overall noise level.
The problem is machine generated noises such as cooling fans which are
tuned out by the conscious mind but nevertheless trigger the alarm
mechanisms in the sub conscious mind...
The solution is sound absorbent ceiling and flooring with selective sound
absorbent vertical surfaces. This combined with sound masking to raise
the ambient level can create a comfortable stress free working
environment.
Temperature
Thermal comfort needs suitable air and mean radiant temperatures in the
space. Sitting by a single glazed window will feel cold and draughty due to
the low surface temperature for example. Also it is better to have warmer
temperatures at lower levels in the space whilst ensuring fresh slightly
cooler air circulates at head level.
The air temperature selected depends on the outside temperature as very
large differentials can cause thermal shock. So in Saudi Arabia a
comfortable temperature may be 27C but in the UK is closer to 22C.
Colour & Visual Stimulation
Offices tend to be bland and boring with a considerable use of grey. This
is considered better than using stronger colours, which could be perceived
as irritating. The choice of colours is usually subjective on the part of the
architect or professional designer and on the part of the management and
or staff who make a final choice from alternative schemes that are
presented by the designers. The science of colour psychology has existed
for many years but has not been widely applied. Various colour
combinations and tones can energise or depress. Most conventional
colour schemes unintentionally have the latter effect. Working with a

colour VDU which has bright colour images when surrounded by surfaces
that are virtually colourless increases the levels of visual stress. Staff can
actually suffer from colour deprivation symptoms that are similar to
Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD) symptoms.
The solution lies in a colour scheme for a working environment that has
the right balance of colour and tone for the activity involved.
Conclusion
These solutions will at last enable employers and work place designers to
install a cost effective staff care programme that will deliver measurable
benefits in terms of improved productivity, reduced sickness absenteeism
and improved staff morale & well-being.
It is only a matter of time before office environmental planning requires
measures such as these as standard in new build offices. The
development of the WELL global standard, Well-Being sections in the
RICS SKA Good Practice Measures for Offices are two examples of how
serious this issue is being considered as a crucial aspect of workplace
design and management.
Case Study
In 2007 Walsall Council set up a project to deliver a “Model Office” this
was a part of the longer term transformation of the way the Council
delivered service and involved bringing together a number of teams in
seven locations into its Civic Centre. Part of this project was to explore
the opportunity that desk sharing could have on the reduction in the
Council’s property portfolio, it also was to address why there was such a
high levels of sick days within the staff that worked within the Civic
Centre.
As part of the analysis it was decided to conduct a series of interviews
with the staff working in the CC, asking questions on their perception of
the quality of the environment and any typical poor health symptoms that
could be attributed to the working environment.
This study demonstrated that over 50% of the staff had over seven
symptoms at any one time and that the levels of sickness that could be
attributed to the poor working environment was at the upper end of the
range. Further analysis went on to discover that the level of particulates
and CO2 levels were higher than acceptable in a workplace.
This enabled the design team to put in place solutions to address these
and refocus the profile of the fit-out budget. The result on completion
was a dramatic reduction in absenteeism confirmed by the clients own
data as shown in the graph below.

Diagram Two Walsall Council
The resulting improvements in the way the staff worked, a desk sharing
ratio of 10:7 and improved productivity across a range of areas delivered
a return on investment within 18 months. The space continues to be an
exemplar to the Council and Local Government on what can be achieved
within restricted budgets and timescales. Delivering the following
measurable benefits:
 Reduced environmental impact
 Improved productivity
 Improved working environment for staff
 Improved staff morale
 Improved customer service
 Improved security
 Improved confidentiality
 Improved corporate image
 Improved flexibility of accommodation
The Opportunity
The targets for reducing adverse health symptoms include all businesses
with office staff and all home offices where people spend any significant
portion of their working day in a single given environment.
Those work places and buildings with in-built environmental
enhancements will have the edge over those which have ignored such
issues. Office development is still growing rapidly along with the
simultaneous growth in mobile and home office working and the
workplace environments impact on people’s health, well-being and
happiness has never been more important.

The changes in the needs of new generations in the workplace will
become essential for all organisations to consider along with the
governments drive to reduce the cost of an aging work population on our
health services.
With more information available on what is really going on in work places
and how it is impacting performance, there is an opportunity to deliver
solutions that can deliver work places and work cultures that can provide
a World Class Workplace and Culture.

Aberley White Paper Healthy Workplaces and Work Cultures

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