Written by Ken van Someren, Human Performance Consultant, KvS Performance Ltd
Today’s workplace is more than just a place to work. As well as attracting talent, engaging and inspiring the workforce, propagating organisational culture, the workplace must empower employees to perform at their very best. Human performance in the workplace is determined by organisational culture, environment and people bringing their best selves to work.
Taking a corollary from elite sport, the quest for the sub-2 hour marathon is widely regarded as the ultimate test of human performance and is fiercely contested by athletes and sports apparel companies alike. In elite sport, performance is objectively measured and clearly defined models explain what constitutes performance – for marathon running this includes human physiology, nutrition, psychology, biomechanics and aerodynamics. In contrast, we’ve only just started the race to understand human performance in the workplace.
Recent innovation in workplace design and PropTech have started to disrupt the sector, yet the workplace wellness industry often struggles to demonstrate a measurable impact on employee performance. Inevitably, the value and return on investment of workplace wellness is under scrutiny.
Brain Power
For the burgeoning knowledge-based sectors, productivity is a particularly nebulous metric. Performance in these sectors is driven by ‘brain power’. With advances in neuroscience and technology, we can now very accurately measure cognitive function and dimensions of brain function that matter most in the workplace. Cognitive abilities such as focus, distractibility, problem-solving and agility are critical to effective communication and high-quality decision-making. With mobile technology, these can be measured to develop accurate models of performance in the workplace.
Novel approaches have shown the direct link between workplace design and brain power. Workspace temperature, noise and acoustics, air quality and lighting are all known to impact on cognitive function. To leverage these insights, it’s imperative that real estate, IFM and HR teams take an integrated approach to workplace design and management.
Happiness, Health & Wellbeing
Happy employees are healthier, more engaged, creative and productive. While happiness is a fuzzy concept to many, there’s very compelling evidence from business leaders to doctors revealing how happiness underpins productivity and success at work. Back in elite sport, not only do happy athletes perform better, they experience lower rates of illness and injury.
A solid foundation of personal wellbeing is key to workplace performance. Sickness absenteeism costs the U.K. economy £17 billion a year, with chronic back pain and mental stress as the leading causes. However this doesn’t include the significant cost of reduced performance at work. Recent surveys show 50% of employees believe that pain impairs their performance at work. Now, with the capability to evaluate cognitive function, we can directly measure this impact and cost.
Many workplaces promote or require employees to sit for extended periods. The adage ‘prolonged sitting is the new smoking’ may seem overdramatic, but the evidence is clear – extended periods of prolonged sitting is an independent risk factor for obesity, type II diabetes, cancer and premature death. More immediately, physical inactivity reduces mood, energy and cognitive function. So with sedentary workplaces killing people, let alone productivity, workplace design must recognise current expert recommendations and facilitate more frequent physical activity throughout the working day.
Peak Performance
For too long, ‘performance’ in the workplace has had connotations only of annual appraisals, performance ratings and bonuses. Unfortunately, rarely has it been interpreted as what’s required to deliver results. High performing athletes and teams focus on preparation and processes to enable outcomes and results, adopting mantras of ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and ‘control the controllables’. Understanding what it takes to win and living high performance behaviours is what differentiates the high performers.
We need a gear shift in the emphasis of workplace wellness programmes from sickness to performance. Tackling sickness and absenteeism is only the tip of the iceberg and fails to engage the majority of employees, who are healthy but can achieve so much more. Workplace design can provide an engaging and stimulating experience that enhances employee mood, as well as creating optimal environmental conditions to enable peak cognitive performance.
By integrating workplace design with employee performance initiatives, companies can enhance the brain power and performance of its human capital, in turn delivering a very real return on investment.
kvsperformance.co.uk
