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Design court workplaces to boost health and performance, expert says
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Summary
Dr. Esther Sternberg told the Federal Judicial Center podcast that intentional workspace design — improved ventilation, daylight, access to nature, more active layouts and quiet recharge spaces — can lower stress, improve cognition and produce a measurable return on investment for court staff and jurors.
Dr. Esther Sternberg, a professor at the University of Arizona and author of Well at Work, Creating Well‑being in Any Workspace, told the Federal Judicial Center podcast In Session: Leading the Judiciary that intentionally designed workplaces can improve employees’ health and productivity.
"If we begin to design our office spaces and operate them intentionally, we will have a better, healthier, happier, committed workforce, and the bottom line will be better," Sternberg said.
Why it matters: The legal profession is highly stressful, and court operations involve tasks where attention and judgement matter — including jury deliberations and courtroom proceedings. Sternberg said environmental factors such as ventilation, light and layout can materially affect cognitive performance and stress, and that modest design changes can yield measurable benefits.
Key findings and recommendations
Movement and layout: Citing studies done with the General Services Administration, Sternberg said open or "active" office designs increase daily activity. "They were 32% more active than people in private offices and 20% more active than people in cubicles, and that amounted to about 1,000 steps more a day," she said. Sternberg recommended a mix of acoustic zones, attractive staircases and easy access to outdoors so people can move during the day.
Light, views and recharge rooms: Natural light supports circadian rhythm and sleep, Sternberg said; where windows are not available she recommended full‑spectrum light boxes or smart bulbs that mimic daylight cycles. She described "recharge" rooms and immersive virtual‑reality nature experiences — which one practitioner scaled to hospitals — and said 15 minutes daily in such spaces can reduce anxiety and burnout.
Air quality and cognition: Sternberg called air quality foundational. She noted widespread attention to MERV‑13 filtration since COVID and warned that in poorly ventilated rooms rising carbon dioxide can sharply lower thinking: "your cognitive performance can be 50% of what it should be," she said, tying the point directly to jury and courtroom settings.
Humidity and infection risk: Sternberg reported that relative humidity below about 30% or above about 60% was associated with a roughly 25% higher stress response in some studies and, citing other work, higher viral infection rates in dry conditions. She advised local humidification or dehumidification where needed.
Nutrition, spirituality and resilience: Sternberg emphasized access to healthy meals, modest caffeine use and spaces for meditation or quiet reflection to support "flow" and peak performance. She framed resilience as the ability to bounce back from stress and said the seven domains — sleep, resilience, movement, relationships, environment, spirituality and nutrition — work together to increase resilience.
Cost and return on investment: Sternberg acknowledged upfront costs for designers and developers but said healthier workers pay dividends. She cited an estimate that poor sleep costs organizations about $1,500–$3,000 per employee per year and said labor accounts for a majority of a building’s 30‑year lifecycle costs, arguing leaders should survey staff needs (she recommended GSA post‑occupancy surveys via sftool.gov) and prioritize changes that match local needs.
Practical steps for judiciary leaders
- Ask employees what they need and use post‑occupancy surveys. - Improve ventilation and filtration (MERV‑13 where appropriate) and monitor indoor CO2 where possible. - Provide a mix of spaces (quiet areas, collaborative benches, staircases, outdoor access) and program them intentionally so staff actually use them. - Consider low‑cost local fixes (desktop humidifiers, acoustic treatments) and phased upgrades aligned with budget constraints.
Resources and next steps: Sternberg pointed listeners to her book Well at Work and to her website for more information, and host Laurie Murphy noted the episode and other Federal Judicial Center resources are available on FJC websites and common podcast platforms. The episode closed with production credits; no formal actions or policy changes were made during the program.
