More Than a Breakroom: Designing for Recruitment in Public Works

Public works professionals are the quiet engine behind every well-functioning community, keeping roads safe, water flowing and cities running, no matter the time or day. Yet today’s municipalities are grappling with more than aging infrastructure—staffing shortages, high turnover and barebones facilities are pushing these essential teams, and leaders, to their limits.

Design may not be the first solution that comes to mind in a workforce crisis, but it’s emerged as a meaningful catalyst for change, helping agencies modernize operations and attract the next generation of workers.

Embracing Amenities That SUPPORT & RESTORE

Although fieldwork defines the job, the time employees spend inside a facility matters. These spaces are often their only consistent touchpoint, and when envisioned with care, can foster a sense of stability and connection.

Unfortunately, many older buildings fall short: cramped break rooms, poor ventilation, little daylight and a lack of meeting spaces leave workers feeling depleted. Forward-thinking agencies are rewriting this narrative with flexible, wellness-oriented design features that demonstrate real investment in the workforce.

Expansive windows invite sunlight, enhancing health while conserving energy, and nooks with soft lighting encourage midday breaks. During high-volume arrival times, acoustics for noise control —like sound-absorbing ceiling panels, staggered sightlines and semi-enclosed desks—reduce the chaos and help ease the transition into the workday.

At the Cartersville Water Authority Complex, space was right-sized based on staff roles and feedback, adding touchdown areas, offices for confidential meetings and locker rooms with showers for welfare after fieldwork.

Choices like these are both thoughtful and strategic. For instance, research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) links daylight to better cognitive function, sleep and higher vitality scores.

Other people-centric design components that yield big returns on wellbeing include:

• Smarter flow, connecting locker rooms, restrooms and work bays for shorter travel distances and convenient access to hygienic spaces
• Compact fitness hubs, ideal for stretching, cardio or yoga
• Biophilic touches, like shaded outdoor seating, organic materials, landscaping and walking trails

The Greensboro Transit Authority Headquarters takes this holistic approach even further, with floor-to-ceiling glass, a dedicated gym and open interiors that maximize natural light. Paired with smart systems and a high-performance envelope, the space achieved LEED Gold certification.

Cultivating Efficiency & Staying Power

Long walks to retrieve tools, vehicle bottlenecks and poor adjacencies slow workflows and chip away at morale. For junior employees especially, office conditions play a significant role not just in where they choose to work, but in how long they stay. And with the labor force aged 16–24 projected to shrink 7.5% by 2030, attracting and retaining younger talent has never been more competitive.

Administrators can up their hiring and retention strategy by optimizing spatial expediency. Busy zones—think tool bays, storage rooms and restrooms—are being clustered to simplify daily routines. Multi-purpose rooms serve dual functions as both training hubs and community meeting spaces to increase utility without increasing square footage.

Shared offices and reservable desks accommodate hybrid staffing, while modular layouts make future expansions easier as needs evolve. Moreover, durable materials—such as sealed concrete, composite carpet and corner guards—stand up to wear and tear, and painted accents offer a low-cost way to add visual interest.

At Cartersville, meeting rooms are used by other departments during off-hours; an example of how proactive planning can extend value by scaling resources.

Space standards also reinforce organizational culture. By creating policies for fixed office sizes and co-locating teams, public works departments can promote fairness and strengthen identity, vital for engaging and retaining talent.

Planning for Protection & Precision

Because the job carries inherent risk—spanning water treatment, fleet maintenance, highway operations and more—facilities must additionally prioritize control from the moment of arrival.

Key elements for safety and durability include:

• Forward vehicle patterns to minimize accidents and delays
• Simulator rooms that allow trainees to build experience before handling real equipment
• Touch-free entries, mudrooms and clean/dirty separation to mitigate cross-contamination
• Exterior-accessible, front-of-house meeting spaces for sensitive conversations without breaching secure areas
• Impact-resistant finishes in high-traffic zones

The site plan for the City of Durham’s Public Works Operations Center is designed to streamline movement and prevent hazards.

Spaces That Work for Tomorrow’s Workforce

A paycheck alone isn’t enough—new public works professionals crave purpose and meaning. When a facility is clean, welcoming and organized, it sends a crucial message: you matter, and what you do matters.

By harnessing intentional design, future-forward municipalities can reimagine utilitarian buildings as workforce assets, improving satisfaction and recruitment and reflecting the dignity of the people doing this critical work.

Looking to attract and retain top talent?

CPL partners with local towns and counties to elevate public works performance and master plan a better experience for every team. Let’s talk about how human-centered design can strengthen your DPW for years to come.