EY's Living Labs: Inclusion by Design

The pandemic offered us the opportunity to redesign how we work. Despite this, hybrid or blended working has evolved somewhat organically over the past year. Instead of a grand designed ‘re-entry’ into the workplace, many businesses have opted for non-interference or flexible working policies that has left employees to figure it out for themselves.

Instead of questioning whether remote, versus in-person, versus hybrid, is the best option for productivity, we recognise that we are in a blended working world where how we work is as important as where we work. When it comes to the physical office space, how we work has changed; we no longer travel into the office for the same reasons as we did pre-pandemic. For example, our own data tell us that people are now more likely to come into the office to socialise, collaborate, and for professional development.

EY’s London Bridge office has been experimental in trialling ‘Living Labs’ that support our new ways of in-person working. As a result, it has produced an effective office space with inclusion, and the drive to give everyone a sense of belonging, at the centre. EY recognised early on that not only can redesign have the potential to serve shifts in cultural practices and preferences, but that it can also disrupt systemic inequalities for people with diverse abilities*.

Our previous engagements and ongoing feedback from colleagues, which has led to the creation of further Living Labs at our offices across the country, has highlighted the breadth and depth of diverse abilities and the range of impacts that a physical office space has on many. Rather than being forced to adapt to a working world, EY is creating a working world that better adapts for people with diverse abilities.

Most notably, design features that facilitate the inclusion of some may create barriers for others. An important learning outcome is that an adaptable work environment with the broadest scope of possibilities, within the constraints of an office building, will facilitate the inclusion of a diverse group of people. Inclusive design from the outset can challenge assumptions about what is needed and instead incorporate lived experience perspectives and requirements to disrupt embedded inequalities.

Whilst EY’s Future of Work is ever evolving, and the Living Labs require continuous innovation, initial feedback provides an excellent learning opportunity for those earlier on in their journey of creating inclusive office spaces to serve a diverse range of abilities. We recognise that much of this learning will be well-known, but it highlights the value of lived experience insights.

While there are limitless possibilities, here are 5 considerations as a starting point:

1.??????Clear communication can support familiarity and routine

Whilst online communications can provide detailed information on how to use newly designed workspaces, clear physical signage can mitigate the stress associated with navigating new spaces for those who may experience anxiety and/or people who rely on routine and structure. In addition to signage for shared spaces, allowing individuals to ‘claim’ a workspace, and communicating this, can reduce ambiguity and associated stresses. Having a fixed base for the day, and the ability to easily book a desk, can support with familiarity and routine for those who are neurodivergent. Clear communication through written, verbal, and interactive methods (including Braille), on floor and room layout, amenities, and to signal occupancy, should be included in workspace design.

2.??????Contrast, without intensity, can achieve the right balance of optics

Our feedback confirms that lighting, wall and paint colours, and views can have a significant impact on comfort and wellbeing. Whilst sometimes necessary for greater visibility, overly bright, artificial lighting or paint colours can negatively impact neurodivergent people who experience hypersensitivity to stimulus, including eye pain, nausea, headaches/ migraines, vertigo, feelings of overwhelm, and the potential to induce epileptic seizures. Considering depth perception and spatial awareness challenges, wall and floor colours should have clear contrast without being intense. Office spaces with an abundance of natural light should limit the extent to which artificial lighting is fixed in main office spaces where people are likely to be working for an extended period. Low stimuli areas can provide safe spaces to contrast the requirements of desk spaces. The ability to adapt room brightness can facilitate comfort and productivity.

3.??????Soft furnishings may enhance office acoustics

A combination of traditional work furniture, soft furnishings and plants can have a positive impact for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Soft furnishings coupled with new conference call technology can enhance sound quality, contributing a sense of inclusion for individuals who have hearing loss. Where an open plan design is adopted, these spaces can project noise, and so separate meeting areas can provide the necessary diversity of options when switching from activities such as socialising or collaborating to activities that require no ambient noise, such as meetings.

Curtains may be one way of creating discrete work areas and they also contribute to the soft furnishings, whereas soundproofed booths can completely restrict ambient noise for focused work and help neurodivergent people who experience barriers to concentration or hypersensitivity to stimuli. However, despite curtains enabling the inclusion of some, they can act as a barrier to others with visual or mobility impairments. Providing multiple workspaces offering different acoustics, without disadvantaging others, can help to meet a broad range of needs.

4.??????Focused working is compatible with wellbeing

Our feedback suggests that an abundance of plants is calming and should be adopted where possible, safe, and practical, for wellbeing benefits. Workspaces do not have to be formal or informal; focus booths more likely to be used to conduct meetings can include plants to challenge the notion that ‘work mode’ or focused working is incompatible with wellbeing and relaxation. In addition, plants in spaces such as focus booths may help people who experience claustrophobia. Another success of EY’s Living Labs is the outward facing window seats. Equipped with a laptop tray, the oversized chairs provide peace and separation from the office environment. Bringing the outside in can facilitate wellbeing for all people, but our work indicates this may be particularly beneficial for those who have found the transition back into the workplace more daunting, regardless of the reason.

5.??????Furniture ergonomics provide comfort and safety

The diversity of work furniture can provide employees with a choice of how they interact with the physical workspace throughout the day. Traditional workstations should provide the adaptability required to work safely and comfortably; this includes height adjustable workstations. Where spaces include more soft furnishings and are designed with collaboration in mind, comfort should remain a priority. For example, all chairs should have back support and the height of equipment such as screens/monitors should be adjustable so that Display Screen Equipment (DSE) is compliant. Sit-stand desks provide a high degree of flexibility that can meet a broad range of requirements. Finally, desk reservation should be available for people with specific equipment requirements and those who rely on familiarity and routine.

Our take-aways

A traditional view on adjustments for diverse abilities can often default to the role of ergonomics. Hopefully the insights on signage, optics, acoustics, and ambiance, as well as ergonomics, highlight the importance of a considering a myriad of design features to create an inclusive space for diverse abilities.

A key learning outcome of EY’s Living Labs trial is the importance of workspace adaptability; the impact of which covers psychological wellbeing alongside physical requirements. Increasingly embedding adaptability into the environment, reducing the extent to which individuals are required to adapt, will continue to have a positive impact on employees with diverse abilities’ sense of belonging. As the hybrid working world continues to develop, the innovation of our Living Labs is one example of how EY continues to build a better working world.

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*At EY, the language of ‘diverse abilities’ aims to be inclusive of all individuals who experience physical, sensory and/or other impairments, long term health conditions and individuals who are neurodiverse.