Learning spaces and environments

Sitting at your desk for eight hours a day without exercise could raise the risk of early death by more than half, a major study finds.

We may be more satisfied with our jobs than we were a decade ago—at least according to Gallup’s research. But employee engagement and retention continue to be among the top challenge companies face around the world, per a report from Deloitte on global human resource trends. That’s because disengaged workers come with a hefty price tag. Gallup estimates that the U.S. economy loses up to $550 billion per year when productivity flags as a result of unhappy employees.

In what they describe as the first study of "spatial management," the researchers analyzed data from the more than 2,000 workers at a large technology company with several locations across the U.S. and Europe over two years.

They discovered that seating the right types of workers together led to increased productivity and profits. The proper proximity, they write, "has been shown to generate up to a 15% increase in organizational performance. For an organization of 2,000 workers, strategic seating planning could add an estimated $1 million per annum to profit."