ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-04 · by Anna Chisholm, Rob Kelly, and Lisa Leong
Fingers tapping furiously away at keyboards.
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Fingers → tap → keyboards
Not all workplaces are the same but if you work in an office, some of the common features could be making it harder for you to get your best work done.
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work → work → features
"Work environments pay a big role in the way that we feel," says Patrick Aouad, a neurologist and CEO of an online health and wellbeing platform for businesses.
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Aouad → pay → businesses
Working in a space that doesn't allow us to feel creative, calm or connected could mean we are performing "under our capacity and under our abilities", he says.
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he → work → abilities
That fluorescent overhead glare
Harsh fluorescent overhead lighting without the option of natural light throughout the day is "fundamentally a design flaw", Dr Aouad says.
"
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Aouad → say → day
If you're in artificial light all day, you don't have that natural circadian rhythm clocking over as it should."
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it → have → light
Libby Sander, an associate professor of Organisational Behaviour at Bond University on the Gold Coast, says anecdotally people report eye strain, headaches and even feeling dizzy because of fluorescent and blue lights.
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people → say → lights
Some research suggests that artificial lighting and a lack of natural lighting can elevate stress markers, she says.
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she → suggest → markers
Michael Spinoglio is the design director of a national workplace strategy, design and construction company, and says, "Fluorescent lighting is a common complaint we hear when people talk about older offices, but it made sense for the way workplaces were designed at the time."
"Offices tended to have large floor plans, fixed desks and people generally doing similar tasks, so designers needed a practical, cost-effective way to get a consistent level of light across the whole space.
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designers → say → space
A grid of fluorescent lights did that well," Mr Spinoglio says.
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Spinoglio → do → that
However, he says those office design choices didn't always consider what natural light was available, where people were sitting, their line of sight, how different teams worked and individual sensitivity to uniform artificial light, glare and flicker.
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teams → say → light
Dr Aouad says fluorescent lighting is just one aspect of poorly designed offices that can push us into a "survival state" and making some of us unable to reach our potential.
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some → say → potential
"Open plan can be great, but not if you want some private time or time to digest things without the company of others," he says.
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he → want → others
Dr Sander says noise and being able to work privately are common complaints.
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noise → say → ?
"My own research has found that open-plan office noise and distraction has … a causal relationship, so the noise actually resulted in a 34 per cent increase in objectively measured physiological stress and a 25 per cent increase in negative mood."
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The importance of office options
People do "creative things" to work around these issues individually, but there are things employers can do, Dr Sander says.
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Sander → find → issues
She has seen employees turn off overhead fluorescent lighting and rely on desk lamps and floor lamps instead.
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employees → see → lamps
But she notes this is not always an option.
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this → note → ?
Mr Spinoglio says different types of work come with recommended lighting levels.
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types → say → levels
And WorkSafe Victoria says good lighting increases safety and should allow employees to easily work without straining their eyes.
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employees → say → eyes
Dr Sander is an advocate for "circadian lighting" that mimics the sun throughout the day, but says anything that moves away from fluorescent lighting "is probably a good start".
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that → mimic → lighting
She says giving people options of where and how they work can also help.
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they → say → options
"Offering flexible and hybrid work is really important … because it allows people to control a lot of those distractions and the interruptions and the noise when they're working at home."
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they → offer → home
If that's not an option at your workplace, Dr Sander suggests approaching a manager.
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Sander → suggest → manager
"Ask if you can modify your arrangements or try and find those quiet spots in your office or somewhere near where you work."
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you → ask → office
Dr Aouad says the office his organisation works in has been designed to create options and give people some autonomy.
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organisation → say → autonomy
"There's a cafe area where other organisations, leaders, owners, managers can catch up with each other and share thoughts [and] there's private space for you to go to if you want private space."
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you → be → space
"The less clarity and control you have around your environment, the more we default to survival mode," he says.
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he → have → mode
What could an ideal office look like?
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office → look → What
Natalie Phillips-Mason, the founder of a neuroinclusive workplace consultancy firm in Naarm/Melbourne, says a sensory-friendly workplace "doesn't assume we all have the same sensory processing input"
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we → say → input
"They're environments that provide lots of choice for people," she explains.
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she → provide → people
"It could be offering spaces where the lights are dimmable, it could be offering spaces where you've given consideration to not just people working in loud environments, but whether people are distracted by smells."
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people → offer → smells
Dr Sander says those making the decisions should consider how their organisation functions.
"Think[ing] about the type of work that gets done in your organisation and the type of people who work there."
Dr Aouad adds that spaces should be designed using an evidence-based perspective, rather than an employer's own preferences or biases.
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spaces → say → perspective
Fundamentally, he says, the right design is about making employees feel comfortable to do their best work.
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employees → say → work
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