What Designers Still Get Wrong About Workplace Wellbeing - Dr. Kirsten Brown

We spend roughly a third of our adult lives at work. A third. That's about 90,000 hours over the course of a career. And yet, many of us have never stopped to really think about how our physical environment is shaping our mental health, our productivity, and our overall wellbeing every single day.We're living through the biggest shift in how we work since the Industrial Revolution. Hybrid working, which felt revolutionary just a few years ago, is now the norm. But as Kirsten will explain, we're still getting it wrong in some fundamental ways. We're still thinking about workplace design as something that gets done to employees, rather than with them.0:00 - Intro1:29 - What is it about people's relationship with their environment?3:03 - Background in landscape architecture5:58 - The step into real estate7:03 - Transferable skills in design9:03 - Herman Miller and the importance of company values14:02 - The missing piece in designing for wellbeing at work 18:03 - The disconnect between designers and users21:12 - What happens when employees help design the workplace strategy23:52 - Are firms keeping health and wellbeing "in a box"?23:48 - How do we appeal to companies that aren't invested in wellbeing?27:10 - Do certifications like WELL and Fitwel actually matter?32:01 - What are the workplace wellness strategies that make a difference?33:19 - The balance/disconnect between health and sustainability36:53 - Latest research on hybrid working41:22 - The link between wellbeing and flexibility44:14 - Career trade-offs and raising a family45:55 - Key lessons from Kirsten's career journey: "Never stop learning!"48:22 - Has your career turned out how you imagined?50:05 - What's next?