Now that September is here and return-to-office policies are in place, attention is shifting from physical presence to the quality of the workplace experience. More than half of Fortune 100 companies now require full-time office attendance—but just showing up doesn’t necessarily mean people are engaged. To get the most out of working in-person, design has to do more than look good and meet operational needs. It must also support the psychological, social, and behavioral dynamics that shape how people interact, collaborate, and contribute. At Perkins Eastman, we believe that the built environment should respond to human needs in all their complexity. To deepen our understanding of how behavioral science can inform workplace strategy, we spoke with Dr. Ian Roberts, a behavioral scientist whose research explores the interplay between individual psychology, environmental cues, and organizational systems.
Designing for Behavior Too often, workplace strategy focuses on operational details—how many desks are needed, who comes in when, or how to optimize square footage. While those are important considerations, they overlook the most critical factor in workplace success, which is how people behave once they’re there. “Mandates and incentives don’t get you very far without a deeper understanding of what drives human behavior,” Roberts says. “When people feel they’re losing control over their choices, they tend to push back. It’s a natural human response.” Reactance is a psychological reflex that triggers resistance—conscious or unconscious —when people perceive a threat to their autonomy. In the workplace, it can show up as disengagement, withdrawal, or just doing the bare minimum. Sustained engagement, Roberts says, is not the result of enforcement or consequences, but of alignment between an individual’s sense of purpose and the environment in which they operate.