Concentration requirements modify the effect of office type on indicators of health and performance

Seddigh, Aram; Berntson, Erik; Danielson, Christina Bodin; Westerlund, Hugo

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.01.009

Cited by 113 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Although enclosed or small shared offices may offer more benefit in terms of acoustic sensitivity and privacy (Lee, 2010), Van Der Voort (2004) notes that some occupants may respond more positively to the increased stimuli in open plan offices than others. This may suggest a role for consideration of the level of concentration required for the work being undertaken (Seddigh et al, 2014) and supports the suggestion that an active approach to workplace management may be of benefit (Haynes, 2008c).…”

Section: Office Layout Distraction and Controlsupporting

confidence: 60%

The impact of the ambient environment and building configuration on occupant productivity in open-plan commercial offices

Mulville

Callaghan

Isaac

2016

JCRE

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PurposeThis paper sets out to understand the impact of the ambient environment on perceived comfort, health, wellbeing and by extension, productivity in the workplace. Design/methodology/approachThe research combined an occupant survey considering satisfaction with the ambient environment, health and wellbeing and workplace behaviour with the monitoring of ambient environmental conditions. FindingsThe paper demonstrates that the ambient environment can have a significant impact on occupant comfort, health and wellbeing, which in turn has implications for built asset performance. Within the ambient environmental factors considered a hierarchy may exist with noise being of particular importance. Occupant behaviour within the workplace was also found to be influential. Research limitationsThe research was limited to a single commercial office building and a wider range of case studies would therefore be of benefit. The research was also limited to the summer months. Practical implicationsThe findings show that an active approach to asset management is required, by continuously monitoring internal environment and engaging with occupants. This must carefully consider how ambient environmental factors and workplace behaviour impact upon occupant's comfort, health and wellbeing in order to ensure the performance of the built asset is maximised. Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that both occupier's workplace behaviour and ambient environmental conditions can have an impact on occupant comfort, health, wellbeing and productivity. The paper strengthens the case for the active management of the workplace environment through environmental monitoring and behaviour change campaigns supported by corresponding changes to workplace culture.

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Section: Office Layout Distraction and Controlsupporting

confidence: 60%

The impact of the ambient environment and building configuration on occupant productivity in open-plan commercial offices

Mulville

Callaghan

Isaac

2016

JCRE

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“…Sufficient acoustic measures are needed to avoid aural distraction. As shown in several other studies, large open workspaces, accommodating more than approximately 15 people, should be avoided due to concentration and privacy issues (Hedge, 1982;Hua et al, 2010;Seddigh et al, 2014). Large open spaces can be visually and acoustically subdivided in smaller areas.…”

Section: Conclusion and Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accommodating new ways of working: lessons from best practices and worst cases

Brunia¹,

Been²,

Voordt

2016

JCRE

161

243

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Purpose -This paper explores which factors may explain the high or low percentages of satisfied employees in offices with shared activity-based workplaces. Design/methodology/approach -The paper compares data on employee satisfaction from two cases with remarkably high satisfaction scores and two cases with significantly lower satisfaction scores (total N = 930), all of the same organisation. These cases were selected from a database with employee responses to a standardised questionnaire in 52 flexible work environments. In the four case studies, also group interviews were conducted. Findings -Overall, there are large differences in employee satisfaction between cases with, at first sight, a similar activity-based office concept. The main differences between the best and worst cases regard employee satisfaction with the interior design, level of openness, subdivision of space, number and diversity of work places, and accessibility of the building. Employee satisfaction shows to be influenced by many physical characteristics of the work environment and by the implementation process. Satisfaction with the organisation may have an impact as well.Research limitations -Almost all cases regard Dutch organisations. Due to the lack of quantitative scales to define the physical characteristics of the work environment, the study is mainly descriptive and explorative and does not include advanced multivariate statistical analyses. Practical implications -The data revealed clear critical success factors including a supportive spatial lay-out to facilitate communication and concentration, attractive architectural design, ergonomic furniture, appropriate storage facilities, and coping with psychological and physical needs such as privacy, thermal comfort, daylight and view. Critical process factors are the commitment of managers, a balance between a top-down and a bottom-up approach, and clear instructions on how to use activity-based workplaces. Originality/value -The study connects descriptive research with inductive reasoning to explore why employees may be satisfied or dissatisfied with flex offices. It is based on a combination of quantitative survey data from 52 cases and a closer look at two best cases and two worst cases based on qualitative data from interviews and personal observations. The study has high practical value due to the integral approach that incorporates many items of the physical environment and context factors like the implementation process.

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“…Other aspects associated with a loss of productivity are traveling within the office, finding workspaces, setting-up, and packing away belongings (Kim et al, 2016). Research results are also inconsistent regarding whether A-FOs lead to increased distractions (De Been & Beijer, 2014;Seddigh et al 2014). Furthermore, while some studies report that A-FO solutions lead to increased communication (e.g., Boutellier et al, 2008;van der Voordt, 2004;Vos & van der Voordt, 2002), others report decreased communication (De Been & Beijer, 2014;Kim et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Appropriation of an Activity-based Flexible Office in daily work

Babapour

Karlsson

Osvalder

2018

NJWLS

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In recent years, there has been growing interest in collaborative consumption of office environments and thereby implementation of Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs). Relocating to an A-FO introduces a desk-sharing policy as well as a multitude of new workspaces with different speech policies into the employee's work context. This paper describes how employees appropriate desk-sharing and speech policies in an A-FO. The data were collected over a period of 6 months in a case organization by means of 18 shadowing sessions. The different ways in which employees appropriated the A-FO solution were (i) adopting, experimenting with, or rejecting the desk-sharing policy, and (ii) modes of interaction

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Concentration requirements modify the effect of office type on indicators of health and performance

Cited by 113 publications

References 30 publications

The impact of the ambient environment and building configuration on occupant productivity in open-plan commercial offices

The impact of the ambient environment and building configuration on occupant productivity in open-plan commercial offices

Accommodating new ways of working: lessons from best practices and worst cases

Appropriation of an Activity-based Flexible Office in daily work

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