Top tips for making your workplace more inclusive and accessible – Arup, London

At Sociability, we’re committed to providing accessibility information for all types of places, from the cafes, restaurants & shops we visit each day, to our workplaces & local community centres. By providing everyone with detailed accessibility information, we give them the confidence and peace of mind to get outside and explore the world around them.

For the past two years, we’ve been working in partnership with Arup, an award-winning global engineering firm, on just this. Recently, we’ve launched two accessibility guides to their London headquarters to provide Arup’s staff, guests and visitors with detailed, reliable and up-to-date accessibility information so that everyone knows exactly what to expect before coming on-site.

To celebrate this, we recently caught up with Mei-Yee Man Oram, Arup’s Access & Inclusive Environments Leader, to talk a little more about how she thinks about accessible workplace design and her top tips for making every workplace more inclusive and accessible to all.

How does Arup seek to design for all?

Inclusive design in the context of what we do within the Arup team is about designing places and spaces that consider the experiences of the end user; good design is good for everyone, but we consider this through the lens of marginalised communities whose voices have historically been underrepresented, and to make sure that we are addressing those gaps and opportunities within the solutions. This includes thinking about the diversity of our communities (from disabled people, LGBTQIA+ communities, people from racialised backgrounds, gender identity, multigenerational age, and many others), both now and in the future.

Can you explain a little more about the importance of flexible design, in this context?

It is important to build in flexibility so that our designs will consider, for example, the needs from an ageing population, patterns in migration, changes in physiology, and others. It is also important to work with a wide range of stakeholders – from the communities themselves, to learn from the lived experiences of people, and the building / space operators – so that the project can be thought about holistically from brief, concept, design, construction and occupation.

In the context of workspaces, it is important that we are able to provide spaces that offer choice and flexibility to suit a range of different working styles and preferences; to create spaces that people feel welcome in, and can bring their whole self to work; to acknowledge that people’s requirements may change – for example across different life stages (e.g. in relation to menopause), temporary (e.g. a headache or migraine) or situational conditions (e.g. needing to focus on a particular deadline).

Finally, you reference thinking holistically, above. What sorts of things do you consider as part of this process, and what are the benefits of such an approach?

Access into and out of buildings; access to facilities and workspaces; access to information; alignment with management and operational strategies (for example, FM [Facilities Management], security, fire); and access to amenities outside of work (for example, transport, social spaces, food options, etc.). By factoring each of these considerations and allowing people to make informed choices about the way that they work, we provide healthier spaces that promote productivity and wellbeing.

Arup’s approach to accessibility and accessible design is baked into their work and values, but to become a reality their approach requires real-life tools. At Sociability, we are committed to the same goal, which is why we are proud to be working with Arup to provide tangible, easy-to-use tools that can empower greater access in any space.

Keen to make your workspace more inclusive and accessible? Here are some top tips from Mei that you can start implementing, straight away:

1. Listen to your community - ask, don’t just assume. The most inclusive spaces are those which are designed with the end-user in mind, and this means consulting your staff body at every stage.

2. Variety is the spice of life - offices where everything is identical are no fun! Create spaces that champion variation - from seating & tables to noise levels, lighting & facilities. Variety really is the spice of life and accessibility, too.

3. Share your accessibility - from meeting rooms to toilets. Knowledge is power - so empower your disabled staff with the information they need to access your office with confidence.

4. Look beyond the office - access doesn’t end at the office doors. Provide a guide to the local area to empower your staff beyond the office and throughout your local community.

5. Don’t just build it - share it too! Tactically embed & share your access information where it is most useful, from booking a meeting room to recruiting new staff, and support your existing staff to think with access in mind when planning meetings, events & interviews with colleagues & new talent.

Want to learn more about Arup’s work? Speak with Mei at Arup, Mei-Yee.ManOram@arup.com.

Keen to work with Sociability? Email business@sociability.app to explore how we can support your workplace, today.