In workplaces nationwide, increasing attention is being paid to wellness programs and on-site amenities aimed at boosting employee engagement, productivity and performance. Through thoughtful space planning and design, transit facilities can give all employees the opportunity to improve their workplace health and well-being, regardless of their roles and responsibilities.

Everyone needs to take a mental and physical break at some point in the workday, whether they’ve been concentrating on a computer screen, the road, or the underside of a bus, truck or train car. The tricky part for transit agencies is that each of these activities takes place in different surroundings, lighting conditions, room temperature and noise levels. With that in mind, consider the following factors in your facility design.

The Building: Upon crossing the threshold of your workplace at the start of your day, do you feel motivated, valued and safe? The situation, building, day of week and time of day may be different for each person, but everyone wants to feel these things at the place they spend most of their waking hours. Consider all the regularly used employee entrances in your facility: Does each trade or department have an equally uplifting and safe way to physically begin the day?

The Message: The first impression of a workplace is important; sustaining that impression is even more so. Small but important changes to the way messages are communicated to employees help them feel that management is proactively addressing their health and cares about their well being. Building signage and wayfinding, for example, are moving from obvious (stair), to educational (stair made from certified wood), to motivational (Take the stairs! It’s better for your health!). Consider whether signage and way-finding in your facility are applied consistently across each building and space type (e.g. administration, management, maintenance, operations). Does every employee know how to get to the staircase, fitness center, prayer room or outdoor space, and can they all access these in a reasonable amount of time?  
The Space Options (Controllability): Studies have shown a key characteristic of highly engaged employees is the control they have over where and how they work and their ability to find privacy for uninterrupted work when necessary. These characteristics are a function of workplace design, culture and leadership, and are reflected in the recent trend towards adaptable workspaces in commercial offices.

So how do you provide adaptability and choice in the typical transit facility workspaces, which tend to be less adaptable? Consider the break areas in your facility: Do all employees have access to more than one type of break space so they can choose how best to recharge? As previously discussed, providing employees with a choice of break areas — quiet zones, loud zones, daylit zones, dimly lit zones — can empower them to choose their preferred way to recharge.

The Amenities: While site area is typically at a premium in transit facilities, outdoor amenity spaces are becoming more popular, and necessary, on campuses. The large and distributed layout of many transit facilities can be leveraged to provide indoor or rooftop walking paths, linking buildings, spaces and employees. Consider how and where employees can fit in physical or communal activity. Do all employees have equal access to on-site amenities such as a safe, well-lit walking path, fitness room, drinking fountains or water refill stations, healthy vending machines, or a place to store/heat up food, locker rooms, or showers? Are the entrances and exits to the site located so all employees can easily access local amenities like bike paths, bus stops, parks or playgrounds?

Safety: Finally, at the end of the workday, no matter what time it is, everyone deserves to be able to relax, and get home safely and efficiently. How do your employees get to and from work? Are all egress routes well lit, safe and within easy access of car parking, bike parking, car/van pools or other transportation options?

The questions we went through in this article are a simplified version of empathy mapping, a powerful tool that RNL Design uses when planning and programming facilities to gain deeper insight into the needs of each user group. We urge you to consider the value this approach can bring to your organization as you contemplate your own facilities and staff.

This article was written by Rachel Bannon-Godfrey, director of sustainability at RNL and Ken Anderson, principal and eastern region transit director at RNL, a national architectural firm specializing in the planning and design of bus and rail operations and maintenance facilities.