As stewards of change in a rapidly shifting environment, business leaders have an opportunity to direct company resources into creating a people-centered workspace. To create meaningful change, employers must find a way to support business success in balance with the needs of the people who make it happen.

Human-centric design

People-centered workplace design is more than a matter of lighting, color schemes, and comfortable chairs. The idea behind human centric designed workspaces — whether in a physical, virtual, or hybrid space — means evaluating the functional needs of the people who occupy and use the space your company provides. A physical space will incorporate furnishings to accommodate everyone’s physical needs, collaborative and creative spaces, privacy nooks, and areas to rest, meet with clients, and connect with coworkers. Rather than standardized, impersonal spaces, in-person workplaces should be inviting and offer employees options to exercise control over where and how they work.

In an increasingly hybrid work environment, reimagining the workplace into people-centered virtual spaces are pivotal to employee well-being and business success. Remote and hybrid work culture begins with the principles of human-centered design: improving employee experience and creating a culture that values its workers on a level with its customers. People-centered virtual spaces offer remote and in-person workers equivalent opportunities for interaction, contribution, and collaboration. But with increasing focus on balancing the human need for interaction with a company’s need for employee presence, the hybrid work model holds the most potential for successful people-centered design. It allows workers to find and develop the individual lifestyle and work-life balance they prefer while supporting professional relationships and improving productivity.

Prioritizing human experience

An unpredictable economy demands agility. And rapid, unprecedented disruptions — including new technologies, evolving business models, and changing customer expectations — demand a commitment to continuous improvement. Reimagining the workplace to a people-centered business design can expand your business into something founded on purpose and values, as well as expanding the definition of business success beyond financial metrics.

This lens is a potential driver for creativity and innovation in your company. Consider these tenets of human-centric thought:

• Value people over profit. While it may sound counterintuitive, the employee experience drives business success in terms of productivity, innovation, and quality customer service.

• Define who you serve and why. Every company is in the business of serving others. Clarify the needs you are meeting in the workplace and the community. Value employee needs and make sure your employees understand the value their work adds to your business and the customers it serves.

• View your employees from a new perspective. Employees are historically viewed as cogs in the business machine, but work improves when workers are treated as individual humans. Practice empathy for your employees. Explore new ways to solve their problems and serve their interests.

• There will be hard choices. Tough choices are inevitable in business. Be clear about balancing your company’s success with a positive employee experience, and communicate your decisions with empathy and compassion.

People centered on purpose

Creating a human-centered work culture is intentional, deliberate work. Employers must be willing to examine employee needs, formulate new designs, and evaluate and adjust their plans to accommodate the needs of their business and its employees. A people-centered workplace — whether physical, virtual, or hybrid — provides for core human needs, including physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

• Company policies should promote health and wellness for all employees. A human-centered workspace allows for movement, interaction, quiet reflection, and a healthy work-life balance. Policies empower employees to make responsible, autonomous decisions about how they manage their work responsibilities.

• Policies and procedures address an employee’s need to feel valued, involved, and heard. When employees feel emotionally and psychologically safe at work, they are more committed to, engaged with, and invested in their workplace.

• The workplace is intentionally designed to improve or complement natural cognitive abilities and processes. Multitasking, for instance, is not conducive to efficiency or productivity, but processes can be refined to allow workers to complete one task at a time and improve their work product.

• With a new generation of employees now comprising the majority in many industries, employee expectations are changing with the times. Workers are seeking employment with companies that demonstrate commitment to a purpose in alignment with their values.

Employers who have been reimagining the workplace into people-centered businesses are reaping rewards — in higher profits, accelerated growth, lower attrition rates, and increased customer satisfaction — making meaningful change for their employees, and building a case for a human-centric approach to work and business success

To learn more about creating a people-centered workplace, visit fitch-consulting.com.