Architectural powerhouse NBBJ has mapped out a scorecard for workplaces that actually work

By John Jarvis

I was introduced to the idea of hospitality in the workplace by workplace visionary Suzanne Heidelberger, and I wrote an article about the remarkable work she has done transforming the workplace culture at industry-leading companies like American Express and Fidelity Investments. I was drawn to the idea that a culture of hospitality could be a secret weapon to help clients draw their teams back to the office and to in-person working. In Suzanne’s words, the goal is simple—a warm welcome, a fond farewell, and in between experiences filled with surprise and delight. I love the combination of such a powerful idea delivered in such a simple way.

With this in mind, my curiosity was piqued when I read architectural firm NBBJ’s paper titled The Delight Factor: A New Metric That Quantifies the Competitive Strength of Your Workplace by Ryan Mullenix and Andrea Vanecko. These folks go beyond my prior notion of hospitality being delivered through our human interactions, and they add important building elements as additional key contributors to what they call the “Delight Factor.” Their article points to the idea that cost per square foot, while important, is by itself a limited tool for measuring the effectiveness of your office space. From the article, “(cost per square foot) lacks the ability to empirically measure a building’s impact on an employee’s enthusiasm for their work and where they do it. Delight Factor is a quantitative measurement that scores a building based on how it makes people feel.” And the smart people at NBBJ came up with a way to translate this very soft notion into hard, empirical data in order to deliver a Delight Factor Score.

Working with NBBJ Applied Research fellow Dr. John Medina, (I told you these folks were smart) their team identified four workspace attributes that contribute to executive function, psychological safety, creativity, team function and sense of belonging. Specifically: Daylight, Variety, Nature and Socialization. By evaluating a workplace for these core elements, a space can be ranked according to its Delight Factor score. I think these folks are onto something. I do love the science-based approach, and doesn’t this otherwise simply resonate as true? I believe most folks are already aware of the positive effects of natural light and ready access to nature and living plants and the ‘out of doors.’  Likewise, access and opportunities to interact with our colleagues is front and center in most positive workplace experiences. And then there is the element of surprise, aka variety, aka an antidote to monotony, to keep us engaged and enjoying the workday experience.

As for that science-based approach, the NBBJ article includes some highbrow references like ‘the color green, specifically at 520-560 nanometers of wavelength, can drop cortisol levels in just 2 milliseconds’ and ‘light reduces depression by activating the same neural networks targeted by anti-depressants.’ In determining the actual score, they measure things like the time it takes to get outside, the amount of green in the space and the diversity of plants. They also measure the percentage of floor area in daylight, the amount of glare and the average distance to glass. Suffice to say, I don’t think the DMV would score very well by these metrics.

So there you have it. Another powerful idea delivered in a simple way. I invite you to take a walk through your office space now with these four elements in mind. When it comes to daylight, variety, nature and socialization, how does your workplace score? With so many companies re-evaluating their office space needs and struggling to find ways to encourage and promote the in-office working experience, this new framework may be just what the doctor ordered.