How might we foster a more open, help-seeking culture and create meaningful change around occupational burnout and mental health in the design industry?
September 15th, 2021
“Designers are motivated by a desire to make the world a better place,” says Professor Naomi Stead of Monash University, “and so they keep designing until they get to the best possible outcome – beyond the point where they’re really pushing their own personal well-being.”
Awareness of mental health and appreciation of the intrinsic, reciprocal relationship between environment and wellbeing has never been so widespread as it is today, as the cumulative effects of living and working through a second year of the global COVID-19 pandemic start to become known.
But how might organisations, the industry, and individuals, make the most of this moment to establish change and in doing so, protect the longevity and diversity of the design industry into the future?
Aligning with the timely happenings of RUOK Day, 8 September 2021, and the upcoming World Mental Health Day, Hassell has dedicated an episode of its Hassell Talks podcast series to addressing the pertinent issues of occupational wellbeing and burnout in design industry today.
Contributing insights and experiences from each of their own personal and professional journeys in mental health are guests speakers, Parlour co-founder, researcher and professor of architecture at Monash University, Naomi Stead, who reveals early observations from her recent survey on wellbeing in architecture; and Bonnie Shaw, co-founder of Place Intelligence and Human Potential Coach, who shares her innovative framework that marries data, endocrinology, neuroscience and behavioural psychology to support change, and community resilience.
“When you’re working in really big, challenging, adaptive problems, it puts so much pressure on people. And being able to do that work in a context where it’s okay to talk about how you might be struggling or when you might be having problems, I think, is the only way we get through it.”
With Hassell’s managing director Steve Coster as host, the three explore opportunities to promote an open help-seeking culture, foster wellbeing and create real, positive change around mental health for the benefit of individuals, organisations, clients – and ultimately the communities and end users of design.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Caring for our mental health is paramount these days and architecture and design can lead the way as Hassell shows in its latest project in Queensland.
MECCA’s Customer Support Centre stays put, but Studio Tate’s interior design has added totally new layers of colour and energy to the space.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
DKO’s Interior Design Director on how to create community and specificity in interior design, and how apartment living is being reconceptualised.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.