The Ergonomic Workstation + The Woes of Remote Work

October 16, 2019 Renee Storey-Lussier

I recently went to a lunch and learn hosted by Aura Office Environments called Tenant Talks: Remote Workers And The Modern Office. The panel discussed the rise of remote workers and hiring free-lancing independent contractors, and what that meant for the ever-evolving office. As the panel spoke of the pros and cons of remote work, I pondered in sadness contemplating this shift.

Here’s why:

I’m currently in a distance learning program and am a remote worker. I am single and live alone. While my dog Lucy is an excellent companion, I long for a water-cooler chit chat.
Mentorship. While the panel discussed ways to support the training of junior employees, which included setting daily hours of availability for video-conferencing, I don’t see how a connection that would foster real, big-picture, long-game guidance can be developed in 2-minute face-to-face increments between 10 and 2.
Almost my entire work experience thus far has been working for mom-and-pop shop type companies where I have never had the privilege of a desk, benefits, or paid holidays. Not having to pay out of pocket for dental hygiene or using my personal phone as my work phone are personal goals of mine. In my experience, I always end up paying hidden fees to work from home.
Working from home means I’m always working. There’s no such thing as leaving my work at work, it’s 4 feet away from my bed. (Studio apartment.) Even if I had a room with four walls to separate my work from my living, I would still have that issue. Which brings me to the next point:
I really don’t have a good set up. The lighting is wrong (on the warmer side of the spectrum). I’m pretty sure my open-shelving DIY consisting of unfinished plywood is poisoning my lungs with formaldehyde. Where I eat is where I work. My desk is a dining table and my desk chair is from IKEA, and no offense to IKEA (seriously, I love IKEA), but the whole situation is not ergonomic.

Okay, that’s a wrap on the whining.

In an attempt to at the very least appease my physical discomfort, I went hunting for the appropriate information on the WELL Resources website, and came across an article called Working WELL Anywhere. The graphics below by EWI Works (Ergonomics, Wellness, Innovation) show the guidelines for workstation ergonomics. Click to expand.

Things I have doing wrong:

Besides being short on a sit-stand desk, I also was short a footstool under my feet, and a pillow behind me for lumbar support. I also should be getting up more and working at the kitchen counter with my laptop on a pile of books.

I highly suggest taking a look at the article to discover solutions for your unique workstation woes.

Personal Inspiration: Loren Bergmann, Designer and Workplace Strategist

September 16, 2019 Renee Storey-Lussier

Last year at the 2019 Vancouver Buildex, I attended the Interior Design Keynote called The True Measure of Space and How It Makes Us Feel V2. There were four thought-provoking speakers on the panel that broadened my understanding of the role of the designer. The panel consisted of Sally Mills from Kasian, Sara Remocker from DIALOG, Leanna Cheung from SSDG, and Loren Bergmann from CBRE.

Loren Bergmann spoke of the humbling experience of pitching an architectural project for Google‘s Mountainview Palo Alto Campus, and not getting the contract. She shared why this pulled her from being a highly conceptual designer to a workplace strategist. What she learned from not landing the contract with Google was that her superficial judgment of the ‘basic design’ (based on its use of primary colours) was driving her goal of incorporating ‘high design’, Louis Pulsen’s Artichoke light in tow. What she had failed to consider, let alone prioritize, was human-centricity. She conceded that in that moment, a valuable lesson was learned; the wellbeing and happiness of the employees are paramount, as we are spending more waking hours at work than we do with our families.

She then read us a passage from Work Rules by Lazlo Bock:

It’s natural to look at Google and focus on the physical spaces, the nap pods for catching a quick snooze, or the slides connecting the floors. As Adam Grant, the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School’s youngest tenured professor once told me, “People interpret strong cultures based on the artifacts because they’re the most visible, but the values and assumptions underneath matter much more.”

Bergmann’s concept for Google hadn’t really addressed their values of human-centricity. Her vision was beautiful, with nap pods to boot, but she admits that not only had she missed the mark, she missed an opportunity to serve.

Designers are called on to create the shift from what matters less to what matters more, and while many of the changes would be operational to shift the culture, she argued that advocacy in design requires asking three fundamental questions:

Have I discovered the key factors to affect positive change specific to this group of people?
Have I advocated effectively to propel that positive change?
Have my recommendations helped this business to thrive?

“Clients don’t know what they don’t know,” stated Bergmann. Education is a big piece in advocating with the C-suite, so designers must be bolstered by the data. The pre-design process should involve research, research, research, and aesthetics to follow.

This was a completely mind-blowing way of thinking, that has categorically changed the way I look at the job of a designer and will continue to inform my decisions throughout my career. Not all that glitters is gold. Interior Design is a service, and we are serving the people.

“I really hope we see more and more people really, and I’m going to say ‘fighting the good fight’ for the employees out there. [...] Why are we doing this? It isn’t about [specifying] the most beautiful carpet tile or colour or wood veneer. This is really important work.”

— Loren Bergmann

Reference

Bergmann, L. (2019, February 14). The True Measure of Space and How It Makes Us Feel V2. Vancouver Buildex 2019. (J. Busch, Moderator)

Google’s chosen Mountainview Campus design by Heatherwick Studio and BIG (Inhabitat, 2015)

Louis Poulsen’s PH Artichoke (Poulsen, 2019)

Renée Storey-Lussier, WELL AP ✔️

August 23, 2019 Renee Storey-Lussier

I am proud and excited to share the news of my passing of the WELL AP accreditation exam. I am now a WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP), and can work on getting projects WELL Certified by complying with the WELL Building Standard (“WELL”), created by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI).

What does all that mean?

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the movement to promote health and wellness in buildings and communities everywhere. It delivers the cutting-edge WELL Building Standard (“WELL”), and a professional suite of tools to empower our global community of leaders to match their convictions with their careers.

The WELL Building Standard (“WELL”) is the premier standard for buildings, interior spaces and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure features that support and advance human health and wellness. It is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features of buildings and communities around the globe that impact the health and wellness of people. The WELL v2 pilot, the second iteration of the WELL Building Standard, focuses on 10 categories of building performance:

Air
Water
Nourishment
Light
Movement
Thermal Comfort
Sound
Materials
Mind
Community

It is grounded in evidence-based research that demonstrates the connection between the buildings where people spend approximately 90 percent of their time and those buildings’ health and wellness impacts on those who use them. The WELL Community Standard™ pilot takes into account the interconnectivity between buildings and their surroundings and the overall impact on human health. The WELL Building Standard and the WELL Community Standard are administered by the International WELL Building Institute and third-party certified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).