As work becomes more flexible and the boundary between work and life more fluid, mobile workers often perform tasks that require high concentration not only in traditional office spaces but also in environments that are typically related to leisure such as parks, coffee shops, or living rooms. While scientific evidence indicates that complete concentration is best achieved in traditional office settings (desk, chair, and computer), there is a shift in demand for working in leisure spaces. If attracting employees back to the office is the main goal of the organization, it is important to provide spaces that both accommodate focus work and leisure settings.
The blending of workplace and leisure has been taken to extreme levels in some offices. Take Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle as a key example: it built an entire indoor rainforest to accommodate workspace into a leisure environment. Workstations and informal collaboration spaces are nestled in the vast variety of plants, trees, and walkways in a three-sphere structure.
The concept of introducing indoor gardens into the workplace contributes to the growing trend of biophilia and an emphasis on mental and physical wellbeing. But if wellbeing was the true end result, why don’t employers encourage employees to walk outside and encourage leisure activities in their own time?
Leisure has found its place in the workplace because of employee demand and expectations. Why would an employee come into the office to sit at a desk for nine hours when they could just stay in the comfort of their home and do the same tasks? This trend has now become a key component in the race for talent; in recognizing this, organizations are trying to leverage popular leisure settings in the workplace.
Organizations have drawn inspiration from members’ clubs, hospitality, and residential design, replicating some of the design features found in leisure environments. While traditional workplace settings are still offered, activity-based working now invites employees to carry out work in biophilic zones, social seating areas, and on rooftops. This variety of workspace settings is more akin to the expectations and work styles of today where people have autonomy over where and how they work.
Leisure environments also have a significant impact on wellbeing at work. It is well documented that we need both work and leisure for our physical and mental wellbeing. In recognizing that employees cannot concentrate for the entire working day, companies have introduced game rooms and social spaces which encourage employees to take a break and free their mind. This has been proven to lead to more innovative thought processes and idea sharing.
The workplace needs to consider wellbeing in the round. This includes mental stimulation (concentration spaces), social environments, areas for physical fitness (staircases, gyms, and games rooms) and places for mindfulness (garden rooms, quiet areas, biophilic features).
Organizations need to consider the relationship between space and nature of work to produce curated and experiential environments which, ultimately, will yield the best productivity output from the employee.
But how far should companies go in incorporating leisure settings into the workplace? If employees no longer want to conduct their leisure pursuits outside of work, then they just spend all their time at work. And, if you’re at work, is it really leisure time?