The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

"The Best Place to Work" shows leaders how to build workplaces where people feel content, energized, and engaged. It also shows employees how to be more effective and productive by making the most of their surroundings and taking charge of their own well-being.

This book explores the physical and psychological aspects of work. It looks at whether cubicles are better than open-plan offices, and how rest and exercise boost creativity. It explains how to foster good relationships and how to show people their work is meaningful.

Drawing on studies, surveys, and psychological research, it offers a comprehensive array of tips and techniques to help readers transform their workplaces, on whatever scale possible.

So who's this book for? "The Best Place to Work" is for CEOs, managers, and business owners who make decisions about their team's workplace environment, from office décor to work hours.

It's also for emerging leaders in charge of small teams who want to boost their own and their colleagues' productivity. But many of the author's suggestions – say around relationship building, conflict resolution, stress management, and the importance of exercise – are relevant to a broader audience.

Not all the resources in the book are new, and you may have heard of some of the studies before. But the author combines research with fascinating anecdotes – from hostage crises to gambling in Las Vegas casinos – and writes with wit and authority.

The author, Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist and an expert on human motivation. He's the founder of Ignite80, a management consultancy that helps leaders create workplace environments where people flourish. His research has been featured widely in the international press and he blogs for "Harvard Business Review," "Fast Company," "Forbes," and "Psychology Today."

So keep listening to hear why workers need caves and campfires, how to avoid common pitfalls when giving praise, and how to hire the right person for the job.

The author says his goal was to write a "fast-paced, entertaining, and actionable book," and we think he's achieved this. "The Best Place to Work" is an easy, quick and enjoyable read, despite being packed with research and statistics.

The author also makes sure readers know what the book's takeaway lessons are. He ends each chapter with action points for managers, and concludes the book with a neat summary of its main themes.

"The Best Place to Work" is simple to navigate. It's divided into three sections, so readers can focus on what's most relevant to them. These are: Designing an Extraordinary Workplace Experience, Motivating Excellence, and Attracting and Retaining Top Performers. We think you'll want to read it all the way through first, but this structure makes it easy to dip in and out next time.

So let's take a closer look at the author's tips, starting with how to design a physical space that allows all employees to thrive.

The author looks at how companies like Google, eBay, and Cisco have created modern workspaces that meet people's psychological as well as physical needs. Too many companies follow a one-size-fits-all philosophy, but research shows that employees need different environments to perform different tasks, as well as to suit their unique personalities. Some people prefer to work in caves, meaning in silence and isolation; others prefer the camaraderie and interaction of campfires.

Google models its workspaces on the college campus, an environment that aims to foster autonomy and self-direction. It has a range of private, semi-private, and communal settings, from libraries to dorm rooms to cafeterias.

The company offers private desks, inspiration rooms, basketball courts, and other areas that encourage collaboration and spontaneous interaction.

Giving people a choice of locations to work in accommodates their personal preferences, and allows them to pick the setting most conducive to their task. It also empowers people, since they know they're trusted to choose their own working environment.

Of course, not every organization has access to Google's 26-acre Googleplex. But perhaps your CEO or manager would give up the corner office so you can turn it into a thinking space or a brainstorming area. Or maybe there's room in the lobby for a table-tennis table or some comfortable sofas.

If there's no physical space, you can think about separating parts of the office with dividers, using sound machines to create different atmospheres, or painting an area a soothing color so it feels like a chill-out zone.

You can also encourage people to customize their desk space, with photographs and decorations. Psychologists have found that people are happier if they personalize their workspaces. Companies like Dreamworks and online marketplace Etsy have caught on to this, giving new hires a small budget to decorate their desks.

We like that the author's suggestions in this section suit a range of budgets. Something as simple as adding a few plants to a dull office space can make a difference to how we experience our workplace, he says.

We also like the author's advice on how to encourage employees to exercise. The fact that exercise helps improve our mental, emotional, and physical health isn't new. But the author writes with authority, and includes research on how exercise improves memory.

He also mentions details on President Obama's impressive exercise regime, in case we thought we didn't have time to work out. He suggests leaders could provide free weights at work, put bicycles in the lobby, extend the lunch break so people can go to the gym, or provide wireless headsets so people can walk and talk.

In Part Two of the book, on motivating excellence, the author looks at how giving people autonomy helps motivate them from the inside. He explains why those who feel micromanaged and controlled will probably underperform. He also offers some useful tips on how to praise team members and recognize good work, so let's take a closer look at these.

Recognition helps us feel engaged, competent, and confident, which in turn drives us to do our best work. But managers are often too busy trying to avoid mistakes to praise people when they do things right, and many are wary recognition will lead to demands for a raise.

Some organizations rely on annual performance appraisals to give feedback, opting for silence the rest of the year. Others give consistently positive feedback to all employees, meaning those who've really excelled end up disengaged.

So what's the secret to giving effective praise? First, feedback is most effective when given immediately, so pat your team member on the back or send an email straight after that great client presentation.

Feedback is also more meaningful when it's specific. So praise team members for their research, for completing a big project on time, or for their sales figures, rather than complimenting them generically on a job well done.

Try praising the behavior over the individual, focusing on what the person did well on a specific task. Research shows that praising intelligence leads people to see their abilities as fixed traits, so there's less room for growth.

Choose your delivery method carefully, too. Public praise carries much more weight than private recognition. So praise someone's performance in front of their peers – on an internal website or at a staff meeting. You could also think about rewarding the whole team when one person excels. This encourages team spirit.

Finally, reward high performers with more responsibility or by including them in company-wide decisions, rather than giving them time off, which implies work is a negative. This kind of positive reward is one key to employee engagement.

The author's suggestions are well researched, practical, and easily applicable. In this middle section of the book, you'll also find some good techniques to help you manage workplace relationships and defuse conflict, interspersed with some fascinating stories. You'll hear from a hostage negotiator about effective listening, while the author uses the example of tennis player Monica Seles's noisy grunting during her matches to show how behavior can be contagious.

The final part of the book, on attracting and retaining top performers, begins with some interesting insights into interview blind spots. Perhaps it's not surprising to hear that interviewers favor candidates who are taller, more attractive, and similar in character to themselves, as well as those they interview early in the day. If you're the interviewer, it's good to be aware of these potential blind spots, to avoid the rather costly mistake of hiring the wrong person for the job.

While the interviewee can't change their height or the way they look, and may be stuck with an afternoon slot, there are some good tips for candidates too. For example, it's best to prioritize warmth over competence at the outset, to build trust.

Take time to think about some potential opening questions and script some answers, so you don't get caught out. Something along the lines of "Tell me about yourself" is likely to come up, but these simple openers often leave us tripping over our words. Even if the first question isn't what you expected, you may be able to steer the conversation back to your planned response in due course.

Given that the face-to-face interview can be flawed, it's advisable to make sure you've got a good pool of candidates to begin with.

Asking trusted employees to recommend and refer their friends is one way of making sure you have a strong field. This isn't fail-safe, but research shows that people tend to socialize with those of a similar personality. So, if you have a team member with an optimistic mindset, chances are you'll find somebody similar in their friendship group.

Referred hires also tend to work harder, integrate faster, and show more loyalty, because they already have a bond with a colleague.

Some organizations offer rewards to employees who refer good candidates. But the author says it's best if people recommend their friends spontaneously – not for a cash incentive, but because they want to work with great teammates and think their friend would be an asset to the company. You could think about advertising jobs internally first, so employees can give their friends, or preferred hires, advance notice of a new position.

One note of caution here: beware the temptation of hiring candidates because they appear to be a perfect cultural fit for your organization. Uniformity can turn into a weakness. Diversity allows for different perspectives and creative tension. The author quotes a study that shows homogeneous teams feel more confident when it comes to making decisions, but diverse teams perform the best.

Once you've got a pool of strong candidates, give them a work assignment to complete. If you're hiring a web designer, ask them to mock up a landing page. If you're looking for a sales manager, request they put together a client pitch. This helps weed out candidates who aren't serious about the post and it helps you gage people's ability to do the job.

The author also suggests putting together a panel of interviewers to help eliminate some of those blind spots you heard about earlier. You could ask individuals to judge candidates on different dimensions, to focus on their people skills or their work abilities, and you could assign different questions to each panel member. The author offers some helpful questions to test candidates, as well as tips for interviewers on how to interpret applicants' answers.

We really like the author's practical approach and the way he includes advice for people on both sides of the interview table. We're pretty sure leaders who apply his suggestions will end up with stronger candidates and a more reliable interview process, which will save them time and money in the long run.

These are just some of the highlights from what is a really comprehensive guide to creating workplaces that encourage people to give their best while staying healthy and happy.

We really like the author's focus on all aspects of an employee's workplace experience – from the size of a desk, to the colors of the cafeteria walls, to the importance of exercise, to relationships with colleagues, and the need for autonomy, meaning, and connection with a community. We also like that his tips and techniques are based on evidence, which is presented in an engaging way, making the book a really lively read.

Our only criticisms are that a few of his theories have been overused, and the book is too focused on U.S. companies. We think the author could have included more international case studies to give the book a broader scope, although we're sure organizations and individuals all over the world can apply his suggestions successfully.

At a time when companies need to find innovative ways to stay ahead of the pack, "The Best Place to Work" shows that even minor adjustments to physical environments, or slight changes in attitudes towards staff, can have an impact on happiness levels, boost productivity, and increase profits.

So whether you work for yourself, are part of a small team, or lead a multinational, we think you'll get a lot from this book.

"The Best Place to Work" by Ron Friedman is published by Perigee, a Penguin imprint.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.