They say that home is where the heart is, but why couldn’t we have our hearts in the office? We’re not talking here about turning the office into a lounge or changing into dressing gown and slippers on a Friday afternoon, but something deeper and necessary like changing the workplace into a space where we combine emotional well-being, human connection and a true sense of community. For a long time now, home and work have been at opposite poles of our daily lives. One represents relaxation, family, personal identity. The other: productivity, duty, effort. But recently this dichotomy has been questioned and people are beginning to seek a work experience that does not oblige them to leave their humanity at the door.

What you’ll read in this article

 

What is the third place and why does it matter in the workplace?

The sociologist Ray Oldenburg gave rise to the concept of a “third place” to refer to those spaces that are neither home nor office, but fulfil a vital function in our social life: cafés, squares, libraries, parks. These are informal meeting places where connections are made, ideas exchanged, and the fabric of a community is strengthened.

Can organizations aspire to this concept to re-imagine the workplace? For sure they can and are doing. Many companies now situate themselves at the nexus of human connections as a priority. Something fundamental if we take into account that the “third place” upon which Oldenburg reflected is progressively disappearing from physical life and moving online.

 

The power of good conversation

Conversation that strikes up around the coffee machine, meetings which take an unexpected turn and oblige someone to take out a pen and whiteboard, challenges which have to be tackled as a team, and the trust placed in young talent ,and the pride generated when they progress, are examples of how the workplace is able to illuminate the most human of experiences.

Although the design of physical space is a big factor influencing the well-being of employees, the most effective is to start generating productive conversations. At the end of the day, as Plato said, dialog is the best tool for advancing knowledge. A Gallup survey found that the employees who showed most commitment to work had 42% less stress than those who were not as involved. A crucial aspect in achieving this level of motivation was connected to the feedback they received from company leaders. Gallup points out that in-depth, meaningful conversations tended to last 15-30 minutes if they are held weekly.

This might not seem so important, but it is the basis of success in those fly-on-the-wall television series that follow professionals in whatever sector. No one got hooked on Grey’s Anatomy to learn how to perform open-heart surgery. What keeps up its audience figures are the snatched conversations held in hospital corridors, motivational speeches before a difficult operation, and the shoulder offered for crying on after a setback. Because it is not the same being an employee, as being part of something much bigger.

 

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The benefits of well-being

This might seem obvious, but the main way of transforming a space into this “third place” is going to it. In the workplace, this means that not everything that can be done remotely should be done remotely.
“We found that some work that technically can be done remotely is best done in person. Negotiations, critical business decisions, brainstorming sessions, providing sensitive feedback, and onboarding new employees are examples of activities that may lose some effectiveness when done remotely,” a report by McKinsey on work after COVID-19.

 

“Not everything that can be done remotely should be done remotely.”

 

“There are certain aspects of work, like collaboration, learning, socialization, creative problem-solving, and complex decision-making, that are optimized by being in the same space with others. These experiences have a direct impact on reinforcing the social infrastructure of a group or organization over time and increases levels of solidarity and cohesion in teams, both essential elements of group performance,” maintains Jennifer Magnolfi Astill, researcher on the evolution of workspaces and human-machine collaboration.

 

Toward a more human corporate culture

Opting to prioritize workplace use for functions based on human connection and social capital is highly beneficial when taking on the resolution of complex problems through the acquisition of new skills or exchange of knowledge between generations. A study by Cornell University analyzed the dynamics of firefighter stations and revealed that those teams that cooked and ate together demonstrated higher levels of cooperation and group performance. “Research suggests that building relationships with people outside of your group, as well as connections between people of differing power status in a community, are associated with improved community health. The same can be applied to the health and strength of a work community,” Magnolfi Astill points out.

 

“Turning the office into a place people want to return to is a cultural decision.”

 

To sum up, to ensure that the workplace provides benefits from this “third place”  as proposed by Oldenburg, a corporate culture of awareness needs to be developed. Christine Porath, a well-known professor, researcher and congress speaker specialized in organizational behavior, says: “I have found that companies and leaders can build better communities by sharing information, giving free rein to people, creating a respectful environment, practicing radical honesty, providing a sense of meaning, and promoting the well-being of employees.”