Olivia: A recent Gallup poll found that 70% of American employees are disengaged at work, costing businesses up to $550 billion a year. Jackson: Wow. That’s not just a few people having a bad Monday. That’s a systemic failure. What are we getting so wrong? Olivia: That's the billion-dollar question, isn't it? What if the fix isn't about higher salaries or more vacation days, but about rewarding failure and redesigning your office to feel more like a playground? Jackson: Okay, that sounds both intriguing and completely counterintuitive. It feels like we fundamentally misunderstand what makes people tick at work. Olivia: Exactly. And that's the central question in Ron Friedman's book, The Best Place to Work. What's fascinating is that Friedman isn't a business guru; he's an award-winning social psychologist. He looks at the workplace through the lens of human motivation, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, which is why his conclusions are so often surprising. Jackson: A psychologist looking at the office. I love that. It’s like taking a microscope to our daily grind. So, where does he even start with a problem that big? Rewarding failure? That sounds like a fast track to bankruptcy. How does that even work?

Olivia: It works by redefining what success actually is. And to understand it, we have to talk about one of the greatest winners in sports history: Babe Ruth. Jackson: The Sultan of Swat. Can't get more successful than that. Olivia: Right. In 1935, a pitcher named Si Johnson struck out Babe Ruth three times in a single game. Johnson became a minor celebrity for it. But here’s the thing everyone forgets: that same week, Babe Ruth hit his 714th home run, an all-time record. He also broke the record for the most career strikeouts in baseball history. Jackson: Huh. So he was the king of hitting, but also the king of missing. Olivia: Precisely. He swung for the fences every single time. He was willing to fail spectacularly in pursuit of greatness. And the book argues that this is the mindset of almost every creative genius and innovator. They don't just produce more great work; they produce more work, period. A lot of it is mediocre, some of it is failure, but the sheer volume of attempts is what leads to breakthroughs. Jackson: I can see that for an individual artist or athlete. But a whole company? How do you build a culture around that without encouraging total chaos? Olivia: You do it by changing the definition of failure. Take Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. She became a billionaire by cutting the feet off a pair of pantyhose. But the reason she even had the courage to pursue that idea comes from her childhood. Her dad would ask her and her brother at the dinner table every week, "What did you fail at this week?" Jackson: That’s a pretty intense dinner conversation. Olivia: It sounds like it, but the effect was profound. If they didn't have anything to report, her dad would be disappointed. He taught them that failure wasn't the outcome; the real failure was not trying. It completely rewired her approach to risk. Jackson: Okay, that’s a powerful mindset shift. But how does that translate into a corporate policy? You can’t just have the CEO asking everyone what they messed up this week. Olivia: Some companies get pretty close! The advertising agency Grey has an award they give out quarterly. It’s called the "Heroic Failure" award. It’s for the best idea that was ambitious, creative, and totally flopped. Jackson: You're kidding. They give a prize for failing? Olivia: A real prize. One winner was an ad executive named Amanda Zolten. She was pitching a major kitty litter manufacturer. To stand out, she decided to bring a prop. She had her cat, Lucy Belle, use the client's product, and she brought the… uh… results, in a litter box, into the boardroom. Jackson: Oh no. I can see where this is going. Olivia: Exactly. Some of the executives literally recoiled and left the room. They did not win the account. But back at the agency, her boss didn't fire her. He gave her the Heroic Failure award in front of the whole company, celebrating her courage and creativity. The message was clear: we reward intelligent risks, even when they don't pay off. It creates what psychologists call "psychological safety." Jackson: Right, so it's not about rewarding incompetence, it's about rewarding intelligent risks. That makes more sense. You’re incentivizing the attempt, not the bad outcome. Olivia: Exactly. And creating that safety to fail isn't just about awards; it's baked into the very environment we work in. Which brings us to a place most of us spend a lot of time: the cubicle.

Jackson: Ah, the beige fabric box of despair. I know it well. Olivia: Well, the story of the cubicle is a perfect tragedy of good intentions. In the 1960s, a researcher named Robert Propst saw the typical office—rows of identical desks in a vast, open room—and called it a "wasteland" that "sapped vitality." He wanted to fix it. Jackson: So he was on our side! He wanted to save us. Olivia: He did! He and his team at Herman Miller invented something called the "Action Office." It was a set of modular, flexible components—desks of different heights, movable walls, sound-absorbing panels. The idea was to give employees control and privacy, to let them shape their own space. It was meant to be liberating. Jackson: That sounds amazing. What happened? Olivia: It was too expensive and took up too much space. So Propst went back and created a cheaper, easier-to-assemble version: the Action Office 2. And that’s what corporations seized on. They saw the movable walls not as a tool for employee freedom, but as a way to cram the maximum number of people into the minimum amount of space for the lowest cost. Propst spent the rest of his life lamenting that his invention had been twisted to create what he called "barren, rat-hole places." Jackson: Wow. So the symbol of corporate conformity was born from a dream of creative freedom. That's heartbreaking. It really shows how much our physical space is at the mercy of a company's priorities. Olivia: It absolutely is. And these environmental factors influence us in ways we don't even notice. A 2007 study found that people working in a room with a ten-foot ceiling performed significantly better on tests of abstract thinking and creativity than people in an identical room with an eight-foot ceiling. Jackson: Just the ceiling height? That's it? Olivia: That's it. Higher ceilings seem to prime our brains for more expansive, "blue-sky" thinking. The space around us is constantly sending our brains subtle signals. This is why Friedman argues that "play" is so important. It’s not about having a foosball table. It’s about creating the conditions for what he calls "unconscious thinking." Jackson: Unconscious thinking? That sounds like daydreaming on the company's dime. Olivia: It's a bit more structured than that. Think about it. When you're stuck on a really complex problem, does the answer usually come when you're staring intently at your screen? Jackson: Never. It comes in the shower, or on a walk, or right as I'm falling asleep. Olivia: Exactly! That's your unconscious mind at work. When you're consciously focused, your brain is very linear. But when you distract your conscious mind with a simple, restorative activity—like playing a game, taking a walk, or even just doodling—your unconscious mind is free to make all these wide-ranging, creative connections in the background. One study had people try to come up with creative uses for a brick. The group that was given a few minutes to work on distracting puzzles first came up with far more original ideas than the group that was told to just "think hard." Jackson: So if open offices are distracting and cubicles are soul-crushing, what's the answer? Do we all just need treadmill desks? Olivia: Friedman actually cautions against things like treadmill desks, because multitasking physical activity with focused work is rarely effective. The real answer is variety and choice. He advocates for a "campus" model, where the office has different zones: quiet library-like areas for deep focus, collaborative lounges for brainstorming, private pods for calls, and yes, even spaces for restorative breaks or play. The key is empowering employees to choose the environment that best suits the task at hand. Jackson: It seems like so much of this comes down to feeling human at work—having autonomy, a space that works for you... But what about the money? Surely that's the biggest motivator?

Olivia: You would think so, but the research is shocking on this. A massive analysis of over 80 studies and 15,000 employees found that, once you earn enough to meet your basic needs—around $75,000 a year in the U.S.—your level of pay has very little relationship to your job satisfaction. Jackson: Wait, really? So a six-figure salary doesn't automatically make you love your job? Olivia: Not at all. We adapt to money incredibly quickly. A raise feels great for a few months, and then it just becomes your new normal. What doesn't fade, however, are the psychological currencies of work. And the most powerful of these is recognition. Jackson: Recognition. Like getting a "good job" from your boss? Olivia: It's much deeper than that. Here’s a wild fact: studies have shown that, on average, actors who win an Academy Award live nearly four years longer than actors who were nominated for the same award but didn't win. Jackson: Get out of here. A gold statue adds four years to your life? How is that possible? Olivia: It's about the profound psychological and even biological impact of status and respect. Winning an Oscar confers ultimate recognition from your peers. It says, "You are at the top. You belong." This feeling of being valued and accepted reduces stress, improves sleep, and bolsters our immune systems. It’s a powerful demonstration that we are fundamentally social creatures who crave status and belonging. Jackson: That is mind-blowing. It makes you realize how much we underestimate the need to feel valued. But how can a manager actually do this? You can't just hand out Oscars in the office. Olivia: No, but you can tap into the same psychological mechanism. Friedman says effective recognition needs to be three things: immediate, specific, and focused on behavior, not traits. Don't just say, "You're a genius." Say, "The way you broke down that complex data in yesterday's presentation was brilliant; it helped everyone understand the core issue." Praising the effort reinforces the behavior you want to see again. Jackson: And it feels more genuine that way. Olivia: It does. And it's not just about top-down recognition. Peer-to-peer praise can be even more powerful. This is why Gallup, in their famous Q12 employee engagement survey, includes the controversial question: "Do you have a best friend at work?" Jackson: I've heard about that. A lot of executives hate that question. It sounds unprofessional. Olivia: They do, but Donald Clifton, the psychologist who designed it, insisted it was one of the strongest predictors of productivity. When you have a friend at work, you have a confidant, a supporter, someone who has your back. It fulfills that deep human need for connection. Companies that foster these bonds—through collaborative projects, social events, or just a culture of mutual support—build a level of loyalty that money can't buy. Jackson: So it’s not about the fancy perks like free food or on-site massages, is it? Those are just surface-level things. Olivia: They can be nice, but they don't address the core psychological needs. A great workplace isn't a place with the best amenities. It's a place where you feel psychologically safe, where your environment energizes you, and where you feel seen, respected, and connected to the people around you.

Jackson: When you put it all together like that, it paints a very clear picture. It’s not about one magic bullet. It's about creating an entire ecosystem. Olivia: That's the perfect word for it. You need the psychological safety to fail, which allows for innovation. You need a physical and mental environment that fuels your brain instead of draining it. And you need a culture that runs on the powerful, human currencies of recognition and connection. These things aren't just "nice to have"; they are the engine of high performance in the modern economy. Jackson: It’s about treating employees like intelligent, complex human beings, not cogs in a machine. It seems so obvious, yet so many workplaces miss it. Olivia: They do. But the good news is that you don't have to be a CEO to start making a change. The one concrete thing any manager or employee can do tomorrow is to give a piece of specific, genuine praise to a colleague. Notice the effort, not just the outcome. Acknowledge how their work helped you or the team. Jackson: That’s a great, simple action. It costs nothing and probably makes a huge difference in someone's day. Olivia: It really does. And for everyone listening, ask yourself: what is one small thing you could change in your own workspace tomorrow to make it feel more like yours? Maybe it's adding a plant, decluttering a corner, or just taking a five-minute walk outside to reset your brain. It all starts with these small, intentional acts. Jackson: A powerful and hopeful way to look at it. It’s not about waiting for the perfect job, but about actively building a better workplace, one small, science-backed step at a time. Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.