Sensory Work Style Assessment Profile (SWAP)

The SWAP focuses on employees' experience of various sensory stimuli and how quickly and intensely they are registered, given their influence on wellbeing and productivity. By knowing one’s sensory thresholds, employees can manage their work style preferences, such as, where they work, what tasks they are more comfortable with, and how they prefer to collaborate with colleagues.

SWAP results clarify work habits, rituals at work, specific behaviour patterns, distractibility, attention to detail, typical communication style, appetite for risk, a preference for certain colleagues, and the impact of the work environment on wellbeing and productivity. Determining an individual’s sensory work style and preferred work environment will increase self-awareness and self-management. The SWAP is a tool used to facilitate employee and manager awareness of differences in sensory preferences, to enhance empathy and team cohesion. 

Assessment scales

The SWAP measures stimuli sensitivity across seven main scales:

Information senses

1. Visual: relates to attention to detail and accuracy in written material, need for organised workspaces, preference for document design and layout, and ability to work in open-plan spaces with a lot of visual activity (colours, movement, devices), amongst others.

2. Auditory: relates to the ability to remain focused with multiple conversations/sounds around one’s workspace and sensitivity to office sounds from equipment, traffic, and colleagues, amongst others.

Social Senses

1. Tactile: relates to how comfortable we are with pain, temperature, pressure, vibrations, firmness of touch, and proximity from others, or objects – which may influence conflict management style and adherence to health and safety protocol, amongst others.

2. Olfactory/Smell: relates to reactivity towards body odour, canteen/bathroom smells, and office smells, whether it produces a calming or alerting affect that may result in responses such as headaches, nausea, and drowsiness, that influences attention and performance.

3. Taste: relates to using flavours to stay stimulated, which influences openness to attending team social events, need for snacking to remain focused, and an awareness of which flavour profiles (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, umami) elicit which emotional responses.

Regulation senses

1. Movement: can be broken down into two sensory systems:

• Vestibular (head): impacts head position, which relates to balance, spatial orientation, and stable eye gaze, influencing alertness and focus.

• Proprioceptive (body): impacts body posture, which relates to the need to move or fidget, which may become more pronounced during times of stress.

1.  Multisensory Work Style: Sensory needs across the above sensory systems determine work style: our habits, rituals, behaviour at work, as well as preferred workspace, work tasks, and colleagues.  

 AREAS OF APPLICATION

The SWAP is best suitable for enhancing team understanding, wellness, and productivity.

REPORT OPTION

The SWAP Individual Profile report provides information on: 

• The seven senses and their impact on work style,

• Sensory Profile Summary,

• What your score means,

• Preferences,

• Words of Wisdom (suggestions based on your profile),

• Wellbeing Strategies, and

• Productivity Adaptations.