From Office Design to Employee Retention: The Impact of Belonging

Tim Carroll welcomes Michelle Boolton, Vice President of A&D, Workplace and Health at Kimball International to explore the transformative power of design in shaping workplace culture. Michelle shares insights on creating spaces that foster belonging and purpose, touching on Kimball’s “creating places to belong” initiative and the importance of collaboration in the design community. Together, they uncover how intentional design can be a catalyst for employee engagement, retention, and meaningful connection in the workplace.

Episode 1 - Culture at Work - Hybrid Work Realities: Crafting Culture in A New Era

Streaming

HOST

Tim Carroll, COO

Working Spaces

GUEST

Michelle Boolton

Vice President, A&D
Workplace and Health
at Kimball International

SYNOPSIS

Tim Carroll hosts Michelle Boolton, Vice President of A&D Workplace and Health at Kimball International, for a rich discussion on how design influences organizational culture and the workplace experience. With her extensive experience in connecting with design firms, clients, and partners across the country, Michelle brings a unique perspective on how the physical environment is central to creating a sense of belonging within a company.

The conversation begins with Kimball International’s initiative, “creating places to belong,” which emerged during the pandemic as an internal mission to ensure that employees felt connected despite remote work challenges. Since then, this initiative has expanded to encompass client and industry partners, with Kimball using research and tools to demonstrate the business impact of investing in culture-centered spaces.

Michelle shares insights from collaborative studies with experts from Oxford and Stanford, which reveal that when employees feel they belong, there is a 50% reduction in turnover risk, a 75% reduction in sick days, and a 56% improvement in job performance. Kimball has developed a tool to help companies identify their unique culture type and craft environments that fulfill human needs, align with business goals, and foster a shared sense of purpose.

Tim and Michelle discuss the broader design challenges shaping the industry today, including the growing complexity of projects, extended decision-making timelines, and the demand for adaptable, tech-enabled spaces. They address the critical need for partnership between manufacturers, dealers, and design firms, each bringing its expertise to the table in a “three-legged stool” approach that translates the client’s vision into a physical manifestation of their values. Michelle highlights a recent success with Rawlings in St. Louis, where a collaborative design process produced a space that embodies Rawlings’ brand and culture, showcasing the potential of such partnerships.

The conversation also delves into the evolving role of AI, which Michelle believes will democratize design by making it more accessible while allowing designers to focus on creative work. Both Tim and Michelle share a hopeful outlook on how AI can empower the industry, providing new tools that streamline repetitive tasks and enhance efficiency without replacing the human touch.

As they look to the future, Michelle envisions a design landscape where purpose-driven spaces and experiential elements become paramount. She notes a rising expectation, especially among younger generations, for workplaces to embody sustainable practices and uphold values like diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ultimately, she emphasizes that spaces are powerful storytellers, capable of communicating a company’s mission and inspiring people to connect with it on a deeper level.

This episode offers a comprehensive look at how design and culture intersect, underscoring the importance of thoughtful, flexible, and human-centered spaces in today’s workplaces. It’s a compelling conversation for anyone interested in the future of work and the role design will play in shaping it.

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Tim: Michelle, thank you so much for joining us today. This is a really, really interesting topic: how design impacts culture and what’s happening in the world of design. You have a very unique perspective, traveling around the country. I wanted to start just there—tell us a little bit about what it’s like, and what do you do as the VP of A&D for Kimball?

Michelle: Thanks, Tim, for having me on—what an honor this is! My role here at Kimball International is VP of A&D, which really means I get to help bring the power of design forward across the country. My role includes A&D strategy, connecting with our A&D partners, and bringing design forward through our design strategists, our e-tools, and our showroom experiences.
[7:19]
Michelle: What I love about this role is all the little micro-moments and intangibles that are sometimes hard to pinpoint but are so central to design. I’ve always said design is humankind’s problem-solver. My team and I are constantly solving problems for our end-users, dealer partners like yourself, and the design community—whether through showrooms, A&D, e-tools, or dealer designers.
[7:51]
Tim: With that perspective, you go all over the country, talking to design firms, A&D firms, dealers, and clients. You’re exposed to different perspectives and even regional differences. With that in mind, how would you define culture?
[8:32]
Michelle: Culture is, I believe, the heartbeat of [any group]—in this case, the workplace. Culture is the heartbeat of an organization, but beyond that, a family has a culture, too. Belonging and culture are two sides of the same coin. As humans, we want to belong; it’s an innate desire we all have. Culture shapes everything we do, it shows up in our values, in how we treat our people, in the spaces we provide. I think it’s an invisible yet undeniable force in an organization.
[9:52]
Tim: Belonging—let’s talk more about that. Kimball International has an initiative around creating places to belong. Can you share how important that is and how the design community can create these spaces?
[10:10]
Michelle: Absolutely. Our “creating places to belong” initiative started internally during the pandemic. We’ve always felt our culture is special at Kimball International, but you must always nurture culture, keep feeding it, and be aware of it. During the pandemic, we recognized that without being together, we might lose sight of that. We wanted to be thoughtful about how our people came together when returning to the office. We began asking clients and partners, “What does belonging mean to you?” The responses were powerful—things like “to be seen,” “to feel connected,” and “to have a voice.”
[11:55]
Michelle: This led us to become champions of belonging, to research and understand the business impact. With help from experts at Oxford and Stanford, we found that when people feel they belong, there’s a 50% reduction in turnover risk, 75% reduction in sick days, and a 56% improvement in job performance. We also created a tool that allows a company to identify its culture type and align their space with human needs, sensory elements, and business priorities.
[14:03]
Tim: That’s fascinating. And to your point, companies like Amazon recently announced they’re bringing employees back to the office five days a week. I think that anchor—a cultural space that connects people—matters. Are you seeing that conversation in your travels?
[14:48]
Michelle: Absolutely. My role allows me to see what’s happening across the industry, and there are strong perspectives. Some say culture doesn’t need to be defined by physical space, especially in fully remote companies. But space matters. Culture is an invisible force, and when it’s right, you can feel it in a space. A well-designed space anchors an organization’s values and mission, becoming the silent steward of its identity.
[18:29]
Michelle: When people come to our home office in Jasper, Indiana, the best compliment I receive is, “I wish I could work here.” That’s the power of a space that embodies belonging and culture—it’s something you feel immediately.
[42:08]
Tim: So, we’ve got time for one more question. From your perspective, where is the design industry headed in this country? This seems like a transitional time for all of us.
[42:31]
Michelle: I think the future will be driven by purpose and experience. We’re seeing a balance between individual expression and shared community. Amenity-rich spaces with purpose-driven design are becoming the standard, satisfying both personal and community needs. Purpose and belonging are also key. Younger generations are vocal about working for companies with values they believe in, including sustainability and DEI initiatives.
[45:35]
Michelle: So, belonging, purpose, and experience—that’s where we’re heading. And design will play a central role in making that happen.
[46:04]
Tim: Michelle, thank you. We’re proud to be a Kimball Select Dealer, to lock arms with Kimball, and drive belonging and great design together. This was an important conversation, and I really appreciate your time.
[46:45]
Michelle: Thank you, Tim. We’re equally proud to partner with Working Spaces and continue championing belonging and impactful design together.