Well at Work: Creating Wellbeing in any Workspace

by Esther M. Sternberg, MD, Andrew Weil (Foreword by)

Overview

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 OWL AWARDS

Full of science-backed tips on how to design any workspace for physical and emotional wellbeing, “Well at Work helps us thrive wherever we work.” (Arianna Huffington)

Whether you work in a traditional office or a corner of your bedroom, staying well at work need not be a luxury. But wellness at work isn’t just about staying physically healthy; it’s also about reducing stress and improving mood, focus, energy, and productivity.

Well at Work reveals how to optimize our workspaces for wellbeing across the seven domains of integrative health: stress and resilience, movement, sleep, relationships, environment, nutrition, and spirituality, and even the air we breathe. You’ll learn:

• How the environment you work in all day can affect your sleep at night
• Optimal lighting and noise levels for reducing stress and improving focus
• How to adjust temperature and humidity to stay alert and protect against infection
• Why open-plan offices can keep you more active
• The myriad benefits of access to nature (and how to bring nature indoors)
• Office layouts that foster social interactions but not distraction
• Foods to enhance cognitive performance
• And more

Along the way, you’ll meet the scientists and doctors, designers and architects, and building science professionals who are striving to make workplaces more conducive to wellbeing. And you’ll glimpse into the future of the workplace, where artificial intelligence and the metaverse will help us create environments that respond to our individual needs.

Above all, you’ll come away with a menu of simple, “innovative, and often overlooked” (Dr. Richard Carmona) steps anyone can take to be—and stay—well at work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316542685
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	601,097
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. is Professor of Medicine, Psychology, and Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Arizona. Internationally recognized for her pioneering discoveries on the mind-body-stress interaction in illness and healing and on the impact of built environments on integrative health and wellness, Dr. Sternberg has advised the World Health Organization, the US Institute of Medicine, and the Vatican, and has briefed high level government officials including the Surgeon General, the Department of Defense, and the United States Congress. Previously a senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health, she is the author of The Balance Within and Healing Spaces.

Editorial Reviews

07/17/2023

In this sensible outing, Sternberg (Healing Spaces), an architecture and medicine professor at the University of Arizona, offers guidance on making workspaces—either at home or the office—more comfortable and conducive to productivity by attending to the “seven domains of integrative health”: “stress and resilience,” movement, sleep, relationships, environment (“what you see and breathe”), nutrition, and spirituality. She contends that putting on quiet background music can make workplaces more relaxing, citing a study that found workers were most stressed in either loud or extremely quiet settings. Noting research showing that access to sunlight in the morning improves sleep quality and overall mood, Sternberg recommends workers sit near windows or else buy an LED sun lamp for their desk. The author highlights companies that have taken creative approaches to enhancing well-being through office design, writing that Google’s Mountain View campus features multiple fitness centers to encourage exercise, which has been shown to stimulate creative thinking. The recommendations are bolstered by illuminating research, and Sternberg keeps a welcome emphasis on practicality (for workers whose offices don’t feature a fitness center, she suggests that just getting up and moving around once per hour can be beneficial). Equally applicable to home and corporate office spaces, this valuable guide has much to offer. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Dr. Esther Sternberg’s engaging new book proves that where we do our job matters just as much to our physical and mental wellbeing as how we do our job. She shows how the right work environment can actually make us less stressed, more energized, and more productive. Full of tips, stories, and cutting-edge science, Well at Work helps us thrive wherever we work.”—Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

“The future of leadership in the corporate business world—and even the political world—will be determined by those who take responsibility for wellbeing in their communities. Workplace wellbeing, social wellbeing, physical wellbeing, community, and financial wellbeing are interdependent. This book, written by a true pioneer in the field, offers a perfect road map to creating a more just, sustainable, healthier, and joyful world.”—Deepak Chopra, author of Living in the Light

“A groundbreaking guide to improving employee health and well-being, Well at Work reveals a revolutionary approach to creating energized and productive workplaces. With practical advice grounded in the latest scientific understanding of workplace health, this is the essential handbook for employers and employees alike, who see well-being as a cornerstone for business success.” —Rick Fedrizzi, Executive Chairman, International WELL Building Institute

“The pioneering physician and scientist Dr. Esther Sternberg provides us with innovative and often overlooked ways in which the built environment can be optimized to improve integrative health and well being. A master class in one book which should be required reading for all.”—Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of The United States

“Esther Sternberg consistently is 10 years ahead on psychology, spirituality and the mind-body problem. To find out what everybody will be thinking in 10 years, read Well at Work today.”—Gregg Easterbrook, author of It’s Better Than It Looks

“With prescience and rigor, [Sternberg] addresses questions that lie at the heart of our collective wonder—as human beings, composed of a mélange of the physical, the psychological, and even the esoteric—how do we live, grow, even thrive?  The answer lies in no discrete part or piece, but in the recognition and resolution of the whole puzzle.  With the determined scientific methodology of the practiced researcher and the appreciation of the medical doctor, together with the clear language of a good writer, she has pursued one of our most relevant contemporary questions for our challenged moment: what constitutes wellbeing in the workplace.”—Robert Ivy, CEO of the American Institute of Architects

"Equally applicable to home and corporate office spaces, this valuable guide has much to offer.”—Publishers Weekly

“As the demands of the modern workplace continue to evolve, Dr. Sternberg provides…an indispensable guide for individuals seeking practical guidance on how to enhance their overall wellbeing while navigating the intricacies of work life…The emphasis on holistic health sets this book apart from conventional guides on workplace wellbeing, as it recognizes the interconnectedness of various aspects of our lives. Once you pick the book up you won’t want to put it down until you have finished it.”—Colin Milner, CEO/Founder, International Council on Active Aging

From the Publisher

06/10/2024

Sternberg's (medicine, psychology, and architecture, landscape architecture & planning, Univ. of Arizona; The Balance Within) fellow integrative-medicine practitioner, Andrew Weil, lauds her expertise in demonstrating how environments can be used to optimize health. This book delves into her research of workspaces. By sharing her research, Sternberg leads readers to think about workspaces—to understand what is and isn't working, and to take steps to address these issues to create a healthier environment. The COVID pandemic forced a rethinking and reshaping of the environment in which work takes place and has affected the mental and physical well-being of workers; Sternberg dedicates the last third of the book to these topics. At times the author's enthusiasm and deep knowledge leads her to wandering. However, the research is often fascinating (e.g., people are less stressed when sound is between 40 and 50 decibels—not too quiet and not too loud), and the tips are useful (download a free sound-level app from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). VERDICT Many of Sternberg's examples and anecdotes focus on buildings in Arizona and around Washington, DC, so this title could be particularly interesting for libraries located in these areas.—Rita Baladad

Library Journal