In today’s world, conversations about immigration often carry tones of division, fear, and exclusion. Across borders and within communities, we are witnessing a rise in anti-immigration rhetoric—one that risks fragmenting societies and reinforcing stereotypes. Yet, workplaces where diverse groups come together daily offer us a powerful opportunity to rewrite this narrative.
Workplace design, often thought of in terms of efficiency and aesthetics, is in fact deeply tied to culture. The way we design offices can either reinforce division or encourage inclusion. When approached thoughtfully, workplace design becomes a tool not just for productivity, but for building communities that embrace diversity and support people of every background.
This is not about politics. It is about human potential. It is about recognizing that talent knows no borders, and that workplaces thrive when people feel safe, respected, and connected.
Why Anti-Immigration Rhetoric Hurts Workplaces
Anti-immigration sentiment does not exist in isolation. It seeps into workplaces, influencing how teams interact, how leaders hire, and how employees perceive one another. A culture of suspicion creates invisible walls – employees hesitate to contribute, collaboration suffers, and innovation slows.
Studies consistently show that diverse teams outperform homogenous ones. A 2018 McKinsey report found that companies with greater ethnic and cultural diversity were 33% more likely to experience above-average profitability. Yet, when anti-immigrant narratives dominate, the very diversity that drives innovation is threatened.
Workplaces are microcosms of society. If exclusion becomes normalized inside, it will inevitably spread outside. That is why leaders, designers, and organizations must actively shape spaces that champion connection over division.
The Role of Workplace Design in Building Inclusive Communities
The physical environment of a workplace is not neutral rather it communicates values. Open spaces, collaborative zones, and transparent layouts send messages about accessibility and trust. Conversely, rigid hierarchies, closed-off offices, and lack of cultural consideration can reinforce power imbalances and exclusion.
Here are three design strategies that directly counter division and nurture inclusivity:
Spaces that Encourage Belonging
Workplaces should feature areas where employees can express their identity without fear. This can mean multicultural art, flexible prayer or meditation rooms, or even global food offerings in a café. These signals matter as they remind people that their culture is not just tolerated, but celebrated.
Zones for Collaboration Across Difference
When people from varied backgrounds work side by side, empathy grows naturally. Designing discussion spaces, informal lounges, and breakout zones encourages productivity in people and interactions that slowly dismantle biases and humanize the “other.”
Transparency and Shared Ownership
Workplaces with glass walls, adaptable layouts, and co-created zones emphasize that no one is hidden or excluded. When people can see each other and take part in shaping their environment, the workplace shifts from a site of control to one of community.
Designing Against Hate: A Responsibility, Not an Option
It is tempting to dismiss anti-immigration sentiment as a problem “out there,” beyond the office walls. But silence is complicity. If workplaces ignore these narratives, they risk allowing division to fester inside their work culture.
Leaders, HR professionals, and designers share a responsibility: to ensure that every decision—whether it’s about hiring, layout, or culture, moves toward acceptance, not alienation. This does not mean ignoring conflict or pretending bias doesn’t exist. It means creating environments where differences are acknowledged, respected, and used as fuel for growth.
We must reject the notion that workplace design is only about aesthetics or efficiency. In truth, it is about values. Every square foot can be a statement: Do we choose connection or division? Do we design for isolation, or for empathy?
The Ripple Effect of Inclusive Design
The workplace does not exist in a vacuum. Employees carry their experiences into their homes, their neighbourhoods, and their wider communities. A workplace that fosters acceptance plants seeds of empathy that grow far beyond office walls.
Consider the impact when a colleague from one culture feels supported enough to share their traditions, food, or perspective. These moments build bridges. They counteract the fear-based narratives that fuel anti-immigration sentiment. Over time, they reshape societies.
As workplace designers, strategists, and leaders, we cannot underestimate this ripple effect. Every choice—from where we place a communal table to how we frame a company’s values—has the power to either reinforce stereotypes or dismantle them.
Conclusion
Workplace design holds immense, often underestimated, power. It can either mirror the walls of division we see in society or become the blueprint for something better. At a time when anti-immigration sentiment threatens to divide us, let us use design as an act of resistance. Let us build workplaces where every person, regardless of origin, feels valued and supported.
Because in the end, the question is not just how we work but how we choose to live together.
