A Resilient Workplace is an ecosystem of spaces designed to adapt and evolve over time, optimising real estate while fostering higher levels of employee engagement. The result is a more engaged and effective workforce that allows the organisation to respond to changing business conditions.

Through ongoing research and exploration via behavioral prototypes, Steelcase has uncovered two key design principles that can help organisations create resilient and cost-effective workplaces that address the issue of employee engagement:

1. Design for Physical, Cognitive and Emotional Wellbeing

2. Create an Ecosystem of Spaces

 Design for Physical, Cognitive and Emotional Wellbeing

To foster employee engagement, the workplace needs to be designed to support employee wellbeing.The study explored broad dimensions of holistic wellbeing that address the physical, cognitive and emotional needs of people. These specific components of wellbeing are integral to employee satisfaction with their work environment and engagement.

When organisations understand this connection between wellbeing and engagement, it can inform and guide design direction for places that can impact engagement.

Physical:
Be Healthier

Support movement throughout the day and encourage healthy postures that help people stay comfortable and energised.

Cognitive:
Think Better

Support the need for focus and rejuvenation through spaces where individuals and teams can think clearly, concentrate easily, solve problems and generate new ideas.

Emotional:
Feel Better

Support the social nature of work by creating spaces that nurture a sense of belonging and foster connections between people and the organisation.

Create an Ecosystem of Spaces

People at work need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout their day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace should be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected zones and settings that are destinations where people have choice and control over where and how they work.

An ecosystem of spaces enables an organisation to be more resilient.It uses real estate more efficiently and cost-effectively, making it easier for organisations to experiment with different types of spaces and evolve the workplace over time.

Posture:
Movement + Variety

The workplace should encourage regular movement throughout the day and offer options for people to work in sitting, standing or lounge postures.

Presence:
Digital + Analog
Physical + Virtual

Spaces should enable quality interactions with teams that are both local and distributed across continents and time zones, supporting both digital and analog communication.

Privacy:
Focus + Rejuvenation

The work environment should provide places that offer varying ways to achieve privacy, in both open and enclosed spaces. Privacy is important to all workers and a vital component of both focus and rejuvenation, which are essential to employee engagement.