What’s the real reason your office isn’t working? It might not be the space, it might be the strategy.

In this episode of Workspace Design Lab, host Syl Vander Park is joined by Kati Barklund, Senior Manager of Workplace Strategy and Global Chair of Workplace Evolutionaries. Kati unpacks what truly makes a workplace “work” and why the future of office design goes far beyond furniture.

From cultural alignment to data-driven design, this conversation offers rare insight into how leaders can reshape their environments to support performance, purpose, and wellbeing.

If you're an architect, interior designer, or workplace leader ready to go beyond the basics, this episode is packed with wisdom from one of the industry’s most experienced voices.

Key Takeaways

• Strategy starts with understanding the organization’s pain points
• Culture and collaboration often drive workplace transformation
• Data-driven needs assessments are essential
• Physical workspaces must align with organizational goals
• Experience and performance are deeply connected
• Remote work proved employees can be trusted
• Ergonomics and flexibility are key to employee wellbeing
• Asynchronous work can reduce meeting fatigue
• Change management is often the missing link in office redesign
• Being connected to oneself is foundational to workplace fulfillment

Best Moments

00:04:15. “The only reason we have a workplace is for the people and for them to be able to perform at their best.”
00:06:21. “An office culture died a little bit with COVID.”
00:07:44. “We as employees showed in many ways that we were to be trusted.”
00:11:13. “We must be much more like stop to reflect on our meeting cultures.”
00:13:36. “We don't want to be going to work just to collect a paycheck.”
00:15:14. “We can never be too young to be connected with ourselves.”
00:20:00. “We are quite used to things and a little bit lazy and comfortable.”
00:23:56. “I do all of this for people to really make people thrive.”

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Workspace Design Lab | Healthy Spaces, Lasting Impact

📅 New episodes release every 2nd Thursday at 6 AM ET / GMT-4.

Join host Syl VanderPark as we explore ergonomic office design, modern interiors, and sustainable workspace solutions with architects, designers, and industry leaders.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4x47wvr2

💡 If this conversation helped you reimagine what a workspace can be, share it with a colleague or client. Together we can design offices that support wellbeing, productivity, and lasting impact.

Produced by APodcastGeek
https://apodcastgeek.com

🧠 Can toys make us better designers?

In this solo episode of Workspace Design Lab, host Syl Vander Park takes a thoughtful dive into how everyday objects, like fidget toys and lap pads, are changing the way we think about workplace comfort, focus, and inclusion. Inspired by a conversation with her 6-year-old daughter, Syl explores how tools often used in classrooms can translate to adult offices in powerful ways. From posture and sensory input to neurodiverse-friendly design, this episode uncovers the small, often overlooked choices that lead to more human-centered workspaces. If you're designing for wellbeing, this one’s a must-listen.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Ergonomic chairs, kneeling stools, and balance balls can promote posture and improve focus
• Fidget toys and tactile tools help with emotional regulation and engagement
• Sensory mats and weighted lap pads provide comfort and body awareness
• Neurodiversity needs to be considered in workplace design
• Personal comfort tools, photos, gadgets, habits, have ergonomic impact
• Adult nervous habits can mirror tools used in childhood classrooms
• Inclusive design should address how people actually function, not just how spaces look
• Education settings offer inspiration for ergonomic innovation
• Repetitive movement helps regulate attention and processing
• Movement between activities supports focus and anticipation

BEST MOMENTS:

00:01:43. “Do you talk about toys? And I thought about it... what a wonderful way to think about our workplaces.”
00:02:28. “We're all some kind of overwhelmed with what I'm looking at. I can get distracted and lose my train of thought.”
00:03:15. “Some people, they have their desks and they put their pictures up. That gives them a sense of comfort.”
00:04:07. “The elementary school and children's ergonomic considerations are probably... I’m going to have to do a deep dive.”
00:05:09. “Ergonomic toys would support good posture, improve focus and provide sensory input.”
00:06:02. “Safety. Ensure all toys are childproof and made of non-toxic materials.”
00:07:44. “Generally people talk about making sure that kids get up every 30 minutes.”
00:09:48. “Can public schools implement great lessons from what we see in workplaces?”

Workspace Design Lab | Healthy Spaces, Lasting Impact

📅 New episodes release every 2nd Thursday at 6 AM ET / GMT-4.

Join host Syl VanderPark as we explore ergonomic office design, modern interiors, and sustainable workspace solutions with architects, designers, and industry leaders.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4x47wvr2

💡 If this conversation helped you reimagine what a workspace can be, share it with a colleague or client. Together we can design offices that support wellbeing, productivity, and lasting impact.

Produced by APodcastGeek
https://apodcastgeek.com

Is your office furniture silently sabotaging productivity?

In this episode of Workspace Design Lab, host Syl Vander Park is joined by Jane Sleeth, founder of Optimal Performance Consultants, to explore how workplace design impacts everything from physical injury to cognitive performance. With 35+ years of experience across manufacturing, banking, healthcare, and aviation, Jane breaks down what real ergonomics means—and why too many companies still treat it as a box to check.

From avoiding costly design mistakes to planning for inclusivity and longevity, this conversation is packed with insights for architects, designers, and workplace leaders who want to create environments that truly work.

Whether you're sourcing furniture or rethinking an entire space, this is an episode you'll want to bookmark.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Ergonomics is about movement, not just posture
• Good workstation design can prevent long-term injuries
• Human error is often the result of bad design, not bad workers
• Ergonomics includes physical, mental, and psychological dimensions
• Inclusive design starts with understanding the end user’s anthropometrics
• Early ergonomic involvement saves money and prevents liability
• Many design teams still treat ergonomics as an afterthought
• Real ergonomics requires adjustability, not just good marketing
• Education and training are essential to long-term success
• The ROI of ergonomic design is measurable and proven

BEST MOMENTS
00:03:28. “There’s no such thing as human error. There’s bad design. That’s the premise from which we start.”
00:07:32. “We could prevent these accidents in the first place because we're seeing people for six months.”
00:11:07. “We want you to come in and study what people do. What are their mental demands? What are their physical demands?”
00:14:25. “The association itself never marketed the profession… I just undertook that myself.”
00:22:47. “Excellent design means that you're pretty much trying to go across the spectrum.”
00:26:00. “It made it a little more black and white so that the science really came through.”
00:29:15. “Some of that is the design to account for that. But at the same time, a lot of it is about training.”
00:31:05. “We're asking the human body, which is not linear, to sit in a linear chair behind a desk that's one size.”
00:32:23. “Dynamic movement is good mentally but also physically. Circulation. Synovial fluid into the joints.”
00:36:05. “The literature for people with osteoarthritis now is: keep moving.”
00:41:10. “Let's do the return on investment. And when you choose those critical things… that was really important.”
00:45:55. “The mistakes that are made… to be human. If we automate too much, then there'll be something lost in that.”
00:49:08. “That's the magic of life. Those happy accidents, two people bump together… here's an innovative way to look at it.”

Workspace Design Lab | Healthy Spaces, Lasting Impact

📅 New episodes release every 2nd Thursday at 6 AM ET / GMT-4.

Join host Syl VanderPark as we explore ergonomic office design, modern interiors, and sustainable workspace solutions with architects, designers, and industry leaders.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4x47wvr2

💡 If this conversation helped you reimagine what a workspace can be, share it with a colleague or client. Together we can design offices that support wellbeing, productivity, and lasting impact.

Produced by APodcastGeek
https://apodcastgeek.com