The article on July 14 in The Straits Times, “From wellness zone to neurodivergent room: How companies are creating inviting, inclusive offices”, mentioned the 2024 Global Workplace Insights report which found that only 68 per cent of Singapore respondents said they could easily find suitable spots to get work done in their offices, compared with the global average of 76 per cent. The poll covered more than 10,000 people from 13 countries and was done by Unispace, an Australia-headquartered interior design company that has a Singapore branch.
At professional services firm EY’s One Raffles Quay office in Singapore, there are quiet rooms for those needing a “sensory break”. The rooms feature dimmable lights, walls in muted colours and sound-absorbing materials. While these rooms recognise the needs of “neurodivergent” staff who may get exhausted by social interactions and noise, they are also available to any employee seeking a quiet spot for focused work.
A quick search online throws up many articles on the “quiet revolution” in office space planning, as more employers recognise the limits of open layout designs which foster collaboration and teamwork, but distract from focused work. Research also shows that a constant hum of activity, such as phone conversations and clatter of keyboards, can tire the brain and reduce productivity. So while open office layouts remain popular, more employers are offering quiet pods, partitioned cubicles, folding screens for privacy or green spaces that look out onto calm water or greenery views.
As workplaces get busier and noisier, the push for quiet zones at work will intensify. These days, it is mostly the so-called C-suite executives and senior staff who have the luxury of working in the quiet hush of boardroom-level panelled offices with actual walls, not just office partitions that shield occupants from casual view but not ambient noise. Access to quiet working spaces thus have an equity element.
I realised this late in my career, when I was given an office room of my own at The Straits Times when I became Opinion editor. It was tiny, but it had a door that could shut off noise. I remembered a senior government leader I interviewed years ago, who told me he kept an exercise mat under his desk for a quick lie-down after lunch to recharge. He was so high up, he could deal with whatever back talk anyone might offer.
I did one better. I had a three-seater sofa delivered to my office. A post-lunch lie-down in my darkened office became a regular occurrence. I didn’t keep it secret, but I didn’t talk about it either. Since then, I always had a recliner or full-length sofa in my office. As I became more sensitive to noise and light, I also developed greater empathy for those with sensory disorders. I told some of my younger colleagues, who struggled in an open office setting, that my quiet office was available to them, even if I wasn’t around.
These days, my work space as a freelance writer is my home in Perth, where I have a study overlooking the back garden and our chicken run; or the local library, which is usually quiet.
While the quiet revolution quietly takes off in some progressive workspaces in some cities, my hope is that quiet rooms become more common in our public buildings in Singapore.
Sensory overload
Two years ago, I flew home to Singapore with my Irish-Australian partner, who had not been to Singapore for years. I was keen to show him Singapore’s civic district, so we stayed near the Raffles Hotel. One highlight was the National Gallery. As a reporter who covered Parliament for decades, I had traipsed around the district umpteen times. But this was my first visit to the restored Gallery building.
I found the restoration stunning. The former City Hall and Supreme Court had been transformed into a building with layers of bright spaces and beautiful lines, in a way that paid homage to their past, while melding into a cohesive whole.
As we walked through the Gallery rooms on the ground floor, a flood of memories came rushing back. The City Hall had witnessed so much of Singapore’s early history, including the proclamation of independence, and the swearing in of Singapore’s first Cabinet. A little bit of my personal history was made there – in 1991, I walked up to the Public Service Commission office at City Hall to hand over a cheque that released me from a scholarship bond. In return, I was contracted to work for my new employer, The Straits Times, for eight years. In the event, I stayed for over 30 years, and still continue as an ad hoc columnist.
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It was close to noon when my partner and I toured the Gallery. Nostalgia, national pride, anxiety to show off my country to my partner, and hunger, made for an uncomfortable mix and I could feel my senses becoming overwrought. My breath became shallow. The lights appeared too bright. Every sound was an assault on my ears. My blood sugar plunged. I felt light-headed. I stilled myself and took some deep breaths.
We were walking past one gallery when I saw signs to a “Calm Room”. I asked one of the gallery attendants where it was and made a beeline for it. My partner asked if I wanted his company, and I declined. When I feel overwhelmed, I like to retreat to a dim, cool, quiet space by myself, to breathe and to calm down. We agreed to meet in 15 minutes.
In the Calm Room, the lighting was mellow, the colours neutral, the bustle hushed. There were sofas, and throw cushions. I could feel myself calming down quickly. I explored the room to work off my energy, then sat on the sofa. Once I felt at home, I curled up on the sofa and had a rest. No one else came in during the time I was there.
Once stabilised, I could return to the Gallery visit. We stayed on for an enjoyable hour or so, before heading out to find lunch.
The Calm Room at the Gallery is one of several such zones in public spaces. On its website, the National Gallery described the room as a “calm and sensory-friendly” space that can benefit everyone. It explains: “Many people have experienced being overwhelmed by an intense physical environment, or by anxiety and other emotions. The Calm Room offers a space for gentle respite and recalibration for all.
“The Calm Room, designed with the neurodivergent community in mind, is a safe space for autistic persons and persons with sensory processing issues to rest if they experience sensory overload. This may occur when a neurodivergent brain receives more information through the senses than it can process, leading to discomfort that may require self-soothing behaviours to regulate.”
I don’t think I am neurodivergent, but I have had sensory overload experiences more frequently as I age. My (totally unproven) theory is that after decades of over-stimulation, and living life at a fairly frenetic pace, my nervous system is telling me to slow things down and reduce sensory overload. I am listening.
Calm rooms benefit a host of other people too. The National Gallery website added: “The Calm Room also benefits persons with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or with dementia. A person with ADHD can regain focus. Persons living with dementia, who may be prone to sundowning or other forms of confusion, also benefit from a safe space to calm down during episodes.” Sundowning refers to the increased state of confusion and agitation in the late afternoon and evening close to sunset, experienced by some people with dementia.
Quiet hours, quiet spaces
Singapore has many places for people to seek respite from noise and bustle. But most of these are outdoors. A list of 50 quiet spaces in Singapore compiled by wanderlog, a travel website, comprises mostly outdoor parks and beaches.
We need more quiet areas in public spaces, so that citizens out and about in the city can take a breather to pause and recharge.
As Singapore gets more crowded, it will likely get more noisy. At the same time, older citizens will desire quiet spaces where they can take a break when out in public. More quiet zones will help cater to them, and create oases of calm around the city.
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I hope more public sector organisations will introduce quiet areas in their work spaces for their staff, and in the public areas for members of the public.
Some have done so. Dedicated calm or quiet spaces have been set up in the National Museum, National Library branches, dementia day care centres and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
SportSG is looking at ways to allocate suitable rooms in existing sports centres to be turned into calm or quiet spaces. This is an admirable initiative.
In public facilities such as libraries and museums, quiet zones can be designated by time, not just space. The National Museum has designated quiet mornings, in addition to its Quiet Room. The first Saturday of each month (9am to 11am) and the first and third Thursdays of each month (9am to noon) are Quiet Mornings.
Some private sector malls are also offering Quiet Hours for shopping – typically in the morning – when lighting is dimmed and music muted.
Imagine if every library, museum, health centre, hospital, polyclinic and government office building has quiet areas for public access – with dim lighting, muted colours and insulated panels – so that the elderly man who has walked too far, the woman with dementia experiencing confusion, the autistic girl who is overwhelmed or the ADHD child having an episode, has a space to decompress and calm down in. Sometimes, this Gen X auntie who likes going out, but who gets overwhelmed by too much noise and crowd, will join them.
Chua Mui Hoong is a pastoral care worker based in Perth and a former Opinion editor of The Straits Times.
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