The Pullman Car Company, manufacturer of railroad cars, introduced one of the earliest examples of workplace fitness programs when, in 1879, it launched its own athletic association. In 1894, the President of NCR Corporation instituted morning and afternoon exercise breaks and ten years later built an employee gym. At the time, few of Pullman and NCR’s fellow corporate behemoths followed suit. Now, corporations not only embrace health and fitness programs, but have augmented these initiatives well beyond the realm of exercise. Today’s forward-thinking companies strive to affect their employees’ entire well-being through workplace design strategies that impact a range of dimensions including physical, mental, financial, and social.
Alongside the great enthusiasm for workplaces designed to support employee well-being is a degree of uncertainty about which tactics are fleeting fads and which are fact-based and enduring. In a dynamic market, it is easy to fall into bandwagon design decisions that follow fads. Alternatively, an evidence-based approach bases workspace design on peer-reviewed findings from research and practice. The result is a built environment more certain to have a substantial and enduring impact on the well-being of its occupants. Design certifications like Fitwel (health) and RELi (resilience) have grown from these evidence-based efforts. In turn, these facts and standards are informing the development of healthier and more productive work environments in organizations ranging from carpet tile manufacturer, Interface, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.