ABSTRACT
Many modern employers do prioritise active fitness in various ways, but the design and culture of most organisations is oblivious to the recuperative nature of rest from active pursuits. In the open-plan office and its associated communal spaces, employees control very little of their environment. Within open-plan space, knowledge work is equated with sitting down. Work has entered the home and appropriated space and time, so rest, refuge and recuperation functions associated with the home allows to take up space in the workplace. The symptoms of ageing suggest that proactive workplace design could help older workers manage their environment better, and benefit their productivity and well-being. Yet none of the workplaces were proactive in terms of monitoring, understanding or planning for age-related needs. Most significantly, the symptoms experienced by older workers increase dependence on the physical work environment. Muscular-skeletal disorders increases, including repetitive strain injury and back pain, and constitutes the most frequent health problem for older workers.
