Melissa Steach

Artist, Brainstormer, Consultant, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Idea generator, Student, Writer/Editor

Melissa Steach, Ph.D. Candidate Author. Artist. Researcher. In her role at Herman Miller Group, Dr. Steach shares workplace wellbeing research and knowledge to support the ergonomic and wellness needs of organizations by focusing on their most important asset: People. Before joining Herman Miller, Melissa returned to school mid-career to create a life that would satisfy her passion for helping organizations develop cultures that enhance, empower and engage their employees for the benefit of everyone. This holistic view - inclusive of the human, built and intangible environments® - is her personal definition of workplace well-being. Melissa’s research explores the effects of implicit cognition on workplace wellbeing and asks, how might a holistically healthy organization increase the self-esteem and self-efficacy of its individual contributors. Melissa is a bestselling author and award-winning fine artist with accreditations in positive psychology interventions as well as ergonomic assessment (CEAS I). She is also a member of the Office Ergonomics Research Committee (OERC), a WELL AP, and holds a Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology.

I believe that compassion and beauty are intricately linked to positive work outcomes. Raised by a gypsy mom, we lived in lots of places during my childhood. From tents to government housing projects; from humble houses to swanky high-rise apartment buildings - these neighborhoods as well as the cultures inhabiting them, helped me understand the built environment’s power to engage, empower… even shape us.

While in undergrad I trained as a painter and sculptor then, after trying various industries, worked as an interior designer. I am now a student of I-O Psychology who uses my life and work experiences to inform my understanding of how aesthetics and compassion - along with human factors and ergonomics - impact people and organizations. My intention is to empirically prove what we intrinsically know: Work is a holistic experience encompassing mind, body, and spirit; steering the course of the relationship we have with ourselves and with others. Creating spaces that work well require insight, understanding, and compassion for the Individual and the Collective to be truly successful.

Built Environment, Ergonomics, Fine Art, Human Factors, I-O Psychology, Research

Listening. Carpentry. Roofing and insulation. Portrait painting.