Workplace Geeks
Workplace Geeks is the podcast on a mission to celebrate the most innovative workplace research in the world. Hosted by Chris Moriarty and Ian Ellison, each episode explores fascinating work with the authors themselves, capturing practical learning and business impacts. Join the Workplace Geeks to bridge the gap between academia and business as we explore the diverse elements that can affect workplace experience, employee value and business performance.
Workplace Geeks
One size misfits all | with Kay Sargent
Three episodes into season four and we're deep into important territory. In this episode the Geeks sit down with internationally renowned designer, researcher, and workplace changemaker Kay Sargent, director of thought leadership and interiors at global architecture firm HOK.
Kay has spent the past eight years co-ordinating a major research initiative, culminating in a brand new book, Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment. What began as a curiosity-led research project has turned into a transformative design movement grounded in neuroscience, empathy, and research evidence.
We caught up with Kay in person at HOK’s London office to explore her story, the book, and what it means to design workplaces that work for the full spectrum of human neurodiversity. In this fun and thought-provoking conversation, we learn:
- How one client question triggered eight years of global research and co-creation
- Why it’s time to stop designing for 'the average', because no one is average
- What hyper- and hypo-sensory experiences mean for workplace design
- How sensory gradients, zoning and choice can help people feel in control
- Why this issue must transcend competitive advantage
Featuring a reflection section with returning guest Josh Artus from Centric Lab, connecting Kay’s insights to brain science, lived experience and the real-world barriers to inclusive change:
"Kay's work, alongside our BCO report, show why employers and managers, alongside designers, developers, and landlords, need to come to terms with the lived experience of neurodivergent people and urban corporate work life. Understanding this will yield an intelligent and measured approach to a complex situation. And when you really understand the problem, the solution can be very straightforward"
🎙️Dialogue editing by David Crackles
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