1. Optimising the Workplace
Reading University
MSc Course
Intelligent Buildings
January 2011
Kevin Reader

3. Introduction
■ Humans have not yet evolved to cope with working in large numbers in sealed
buildings deprived of fresh air and natural light
– Man made materials & electronic smog
– Minimal physical activity
– Maximum mental, visual & aural activity
■ The result is an undetected epidemic of so called sick building syndrome
– High sickness absence levels
– Poor personal productivity
– Voluntary wastage
■ These symptoms have been attributed to
– Lack of job security
– Management bullying
– Racial & social tensions
– The Government
■ Recent research however shows that 60-70% of this problem can be found in the
office environment

4. Objectives of Optimisation
■ MAXIMUM OUTPUT at MINIMUM COST
■ Average organisation efficiency is < 50%
■ No stress = no output
■ Excess stress = high activity + low output + high fatigue
■ High fatigue = high cost of manpower machines and space
■ Low stress+ high concentration = maximum output & minimum cost
Employees do not assess a workplace in terms of space efficiency, real estate costs or
scientific data on the ergonomics, sound levels, light and air quality etc but on how it feels to
work in it
John Jukes Westra 2008

5. Before Optimisation
Symptom Analysis - Videotron
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Back Pain
Neck etc Pain
Hand/Arm Pain
Headaches
Tiredness
Nose runny
Throat sore/dry
Eyes dry/itchy
Cough
Irritability
Cold/flu
Skin rash/itch
Wheeziness
% of Staff
Before

6. After Optimisation
Symptom Analysis - Videotron
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Back Pain
Neck etc Pain
Hand/Arm Pain
Headaches
Tiredness
Nose runny
Throat sore/dry
Eyes dry/itchy
Cough
Irritability
Cold/flu
Skin rash/itch
Wheeziness
% of Staff
After

7. Before and after Optimisation
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Sick Days Work
Load
Staff
Leaving
Before
After

8. US Department of Labour Occupational Safety & Health - OSHA Web Site
What needs Optimising?
■ EVERYTHING!!
■ Why?
■ The modern office is a minefield of unsuspected sources of
biological stress
■ “The synergic effect of multiple stressors can result in
decreased productivity, absenteeism and high turnover.”
■ “Prolonged exposure may lead to hypertension, coronary
heart disease. ulcers, alcoholism and mental illness.”

9. IT Investment implications
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Yrs 60-73 Yrs 73-95
Productivity
Increase %
IT Investment %
GDP
US Labour Productivity & IT Investment (Scientific American)

10. Optimising the workplace – List of organisations
■ British Rail
■ Amex
■ MOD
■ Mortgage Corporation
■ Nortel
■ Holiday Inns
■ Kent Ambulance
■ British Telecom
■ Herts Constabulary
■ BBC
■ Walsall Council
■ British Airways
■ British Gas
■ Cable & Wireless
■ British Petroleum
■ Southampton Health
Authority
■ Pfizer
■ Family Medicine
■ Penguin Books
■ Sun Newspaper
■ Sandwell Council

11. Optimising the workplace – Background of research
■ Reading University
■ Warwick University
■ Surrey University
■ Montpelier University
■ Dusseldorf University
■ Kitasau University
■ Cromwell Hospital
■ University College London
■ NASA
■ Washington State University

12. Optimising the workplace – Health implications
■ Cancer
■ Alzheimer's
■ Asthma
■ Sperm Count Decline
■ Fertility Decline
■ Parkinson's Disease
■ Heart Attack
■ Detached Retina
■ Computer Death Syndrome
The growth in diseases like cancer in developed societies can be partly attributed
to the increases in technology within offices and home environments
Thomas Saunders author of “The Boiled Frog Syndrome”

13. ■ Headaches
■ Coughs/sneezes
■ Dry, itchy, tired eyes
■ Blocked, runny nose
■ Tiredness, fatigue
■ Rashes, itches, dry skin
■ Cold/flu like symptoms
■ Dry throat
■ Sore Throat
■ Wheeziness
■ Back, leg pain
■ Neck pain
■ Shoulder pain
■ Arms, elbow pain
■ Hands/finger pain
■ Concentration problems
■ Memory problems
■ Pessimistic/depressed
■ Tense/ irritable
■ Sleeping difficulties
Optimising the workplace – Symptoms

14. Optimising the workplace – Stress
■ Deadlines
■ Insecurity
■ Criticism
■ Relationships
■ JOB STRESS + BIOLOGICAL STRESS
■ =TOTAL STRESS
There is more information within a daily newspaper than the average
person would have experienced in their entire lifetime in the 17th century

15. Optimising the workplace – Ergonomics
■ Lumbar support seating
■ Poor desk design
■ Poor work habits
■ Pelvic Support
■ Height adjustability
■ Training
■ Workpace
On July 3rd, 1997, California adopted the first legal standard to
regulate ergonomic compliance in the workplace

16. Optimising the workplace – Electro Magnetic Radiation
■ Ultra Violet, Infra Red
■ Microwaves, Radio Frequencies
■ VLF, ELF, Static.
■ VDU Shields, Ionisers,
■ Tecno AO antennae
■ Anti static chairs & carpets
■ Flat Panel Displays
■ Microwave screening
Radiation from computers, mobile phones, microwave ovens and other
electrical appliances has increased by 600% since 1980

17. Optimising the workplace – Lighting
■ Glare
■ Colour Balance
■ Flicker
■ Too much
■ Too little
■ Daylight Full Spectrum light
■ Polarised light
■ Electronic Ballast
■ Personal control
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Std Lighting Full Spectrum Daylight
380 449 495 570
625 700
Controls are extremely important in office-lighting design . . . Manual controls
that give workers control over their individual work environments, increase user
satisfaction and acceptance
Nancy Clanton University of Colorado

18. Optimising the workplace – Air Quality
■ Hot, cold, dry, humid, stuffy
■ Positive Ions & carbon
■ Skin cells (3-5 litres per person yearly)
■ Volatile Organic Compounds
■ Bacteria, microbes, fungi
■ Carbon Dioxide
■ Negative ions
■ Hepa filtration
■ Humidity & plants
■ Individual climate control
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air can be two-
to five-times more polluted than the air outdoors

19. Optimising the workplace – Plants
■ Humidity
■ CO2 levels
■ Oxygen levels
■ Volatile Organic Compounds
■ NASA Plants
■ Hydroponics
■ 2 sqm leaf surface per person
■ Water features
■ Miniature Rainforests
NASA research has consistently shown that living green and flowering
plants can remove several toxic chemicals from the air in building interiors

20. Optimising the workplace – Plants = Productivity & Health
■ In a study conducted by Dr. Virginia Lahr of Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.,
subject reaction times to a computer program were 12% faster when plants were present
Blood pressure readings taken during the same study showed that visual exposure to plant
settings could produce significant recovery from stress within five minutes
■ Dr. Bill Wolverton, a NASA research scientist, believes that NASA's findings about indoor
plants have some down-to-earth applications for cleaning dirty indoor air. He estimates that
15 to 20 Golden Pothos and Spider Plants can clean and refresh the air in the average
1,800 square foot area
■ In the initial NASA studies over a dozen varieties of common interior plants were placed in
sealed, plexiglas chambers. Formaldehyde, a toxic chemical with the greatest exposure on
humans, was introduced. Within 24 hours, the plants - Philodendron, Spider Plant and
Golden Pothos - removed 80% of the formaldehyde molecules from the chamber
NASA research identifies the most effective pollution fighters are plants

21. Optimising the workplace – Acoustics
■ Distracting speech
■ Telephone ringing
■ Excessive vibration
■ Machine and cable hum
■ Reflected sound
■ Sound masking
■ Sound absorption
■ Sound cancelling
In open-plan offices, the noise floor is usually so low that conversations
are intelligible from up to 15.2 metres. Sound masking can reduce this to
less than 2 - 4 metres

22. ■ Airborne Particulates & fungi
■ Microbes & Bacteria
■ Nylon Fibres & Static
■ Anti Static & Anti fungal
■ Anti bacterial & Anti microbial
■ Continuous filament
■ Sound absorbent
Optimising the workplace – Carpets & Fabrics
The World Health Organization stated that the presence of dust with an
aerodynamic diameter of 10 am or smaller (PM10) can damage your health
Over 50% of particles in the workplace fall into this category

23. Optimising the workplace – Keyboards
■ Bacteria
■ Discarded food
■ MRSA & Super Bugs
■ Flu Virus
■ Eating regimes (Away from desk)
■ Cleaning procedures
■ Keyboard covers
■ Washing hands
One keyboard was so dirty that a microbiologist ordered it to be removed, quarantined
and cleaned. It had 150 times the acceptable limit for bacteria and was five times as
filthy as a typical lavatory seat
Gary Noskin at Chicago's North Western Memorial Hospital

24. Optimising the workplace – Flat Panel displays
■ 72% less visual stress symptoms
■ No flicker
■ Less glare
■ Lower EMR
■ Less space
■ Less power
■ Less heat load
Visual search error frequency is 22% less when reading from an LCD than a CRT
Professor Alan Hedge
Dept. Design & Environmental Analysis, Cornell University

25. Optimising the workplace – Colour
■ Bland & Boring
■ Colour deprivation
■ Depressing
■ Mixed Tonal values
■ Psychological effects
■ Balance
■ Lighting
■ Adventurous
■ Stimulating
At the University of Iowa, Hawkeye Coach Hayden Fry had the locker room
used by visiting teams painted pink, on the basis of research that showed pink
surroundings have the effect of reducing aggression

26. Optimising the workplace – Work Pace
■ Rest breaks
■ Exercises - Workpace
■ Eye Exercises
■ Activity Centres
■ Relaxation Training
■ Keyboard Training
Li Jianjun, Labour Union V. chairman of China mobile, Beijing, said, “We have more than
2-thousand employees and their pressure at work is rather heavy.
We encourage them to exercise at work to help release that pressure”

27. Optimising the workplace – Stress controlled
■ Humanise the workplace
■ Create outdoors => indoors
■ Control of own space
■ Individual climate control – light, air
& sound
■ Treat staff as athletes
■ Maximum performance requires
maximum support
■ Total calm + total focus = optimum
output per person
The negative impact of the indoor environment on health and productivity is its low energy
content. High energy environments exist in nature in golf courses, beaches, mountains,
rivers and forests. Creating a high energy indoor environment is simply to copy nature
John Jukes Westra 2008

28. Optimising the workplace – Productivity & Measurement
■ Short Interval Scheduling
■ Productivity Indices
■ Activity Sampling
■ Zero Based Budgeting
■ Work Measurement
■ Reaction Timing
■ Visual Acuity
■ Error Rate Sampling
■ Stress Symptom Scoring
■ Visual Acuity - flicker fusion
■ Skin Temperature
■ Skin Resistance
■ Heart Rate
■ Reaction Timing
■ Brain Wave Pattern
In a study conducted by Dr. Virginia Lahr of Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.,
subject reaction times to a computer program were 12% faster when plants were present

29. 45.0%
50.0%
55.0%
60.0%
65.0%
70.0%
75.0%
80.0%
85.0%
90.0%
95.0%
100.0%
105.0%
110.0%
CALLS PER DAY 100.0% 103.7% 103.6% 104.1% 104.0% 104.0% 102.7% 101.3% 102.2% 105.4% 106.40%
HANDLING TIME 100.0% 98.9% 98.7% 98.0% 97.4% 96.9% 97.3% 98.6% 99.3% 99.1% 98.70%
SICK DAYS 100.0% 81.7% 73.6% 56.1% 49.5% 49.9% 53.4% 55.7% 60.5% 58.1% 51.20%
Base
June-
Aug
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
(Severe Air Conditioning problems)
Optimising the workplace – Productivity & Measurement
BT Kingstanding pilot project showing productivity indicators demonstrating the
combined effect of polarized lighting, air ionization and EMR protection over a 3 month
moving average (Rise in sick days due to failure to change A/C filters as scheduled)

30. Optimising the workplace – Benefits
■ Higher Productivity (+ 20%)
■ Fewer errors
■ Fewer stress symptoms ( - 80%)
■ Less absence
■ Higher morale
■ Better staff, management
■ Improved customer relations
Optimising the environment at Walsall Councils recent Model Office project, reduced
absenteeism by over 50%, improved productivity by over 25% and increased customer
satisfaction from 35 to 85% with a ROI of 12 months
Completion of
Model Office
Project Phase
2
Completion of
Model Office
Project Phase
1

31. Optimising the workplace – Walsall Council
The new office space is excellent; Our staff have really embraced the change. People are
even saying they don’t want to go home
Sharon Carter Walsall Council

32. Optimising the workplace – EC Harris HQ
■ Staff attrition down by 20%
■ Revenue growth up by 17.4%
■ Net margin 23% improvement
■ Staff satisfaction with the
environment up 20%
■ Staff satisfaction with facilities up
14%

33. Thank You