(H05) Impacts of Personality, Office Layout and Sound on Focus and Wellbeing

This session will show that personality, office design, and ambient noise levels influence the happiness, ability to focus, and stress levels of office workers. It will provide invaluable data-based perspectives informing commercial office design and generate a robust discussion on how to create workspaces that better fit individualized needs. As organizations grapple with workplace re-entry, there is a tremendous opportunity to capture this data to enhance post-COVID workplace ecosystems. Dr. Esther Sternberg, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Research Director at the University of Arizona, will moderate a discussion between the research and design professionals who conducted the innovative Wellbuilt for Wellbeing project. The panel will share findings from recently published papers using wearable sensors to measure how sound levels relate to the physiological wellbeing of office workers, as well as a variety of survey methods to explore how people with different personalities respond to different office layouts. The panelists will discuss a rethinking of the interior design of commercial office space as a part of a larger workplace ecosystem and the importance of understanding different personality traits in personalizing workspace design. They will discuss the implications of this research in supporting public and private sector clients and their post-COVID return to the workplace. Kevin Kampschroer, Chief Sustainability Officer for the U.S. General Services Administration, will then reflect on over 20 years leading GSA’s workplace strategy efforts and the policy trends that will guide the return to federal offices. Throughout the session, the moderator will engage panelists and the audience in a conversation on the human-centered implications for the future of work. The Wellbuilt for Wellbeing project was led by the University of Arizona and sponsored by the U.S. General Services Administration. It observed more than 200 individuals in a real-world study conducted at four federal buildings across the U.S.