Effects of tidy/messy work environment on human accuracy

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between accuracy and conscientiousness among people working in a tidy/messy work environment. Design/methodology/approach -A laboratory experiment was conducted, where participants performing a simple task in a highly controlled environment were sorted into two different treatments, a tidy or a messy work environment. Findings -The results of this study suggest that conscientious people commit more errors in a messy environment than in a tidy environment. Therefore, one of the most significant findings to emerge from this study is that a messy environment could be detrimental to the accuracy of conscientious people. Research limitations/implications -This study is limited in several respects. First of all, the sample is not large, with 80 participants; some variables, such us IQ levels, fatigue levels, caffeine consumption, etc. were not controlled for. Third, the task was restricted to inputting data into a computer. Practical implications -Taken together, these findings suggest the need to promote excellence in work environment tidiness, because highly conscientious employees will work with greater accuracy, while the less conscientious will not be affected. Therefore, overall, accuracy will be better. Consequently, the managers of the organization should be committed to defining policies about high standards of tidiness in the workplace environment. Originality/value -This is the first study to provide evidence of the moderation of the tidy/messy work environment in the relationship between conscientiousness and human accuracy. The present study sheds light on the impact of messy work environment on accuracy of high conscientious people, inducing them to work in a defective way.

Analyzing the Effects of Distractions While Working from Home on Burnout Complaints and Stress Levels among Office Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In line with previous studies on office workplaces, current research showed that medium-or large-sized home workspaces that are clean and tidy, without noise interruptions, appear to reduce workspace distractions [31], [36], [37]. As the path model indicated, only the size of the workspace directly affected feelings of exhaustion, while the influence of other workspace characteristics on dependent variables were mediated by distractions.…”

“…In addition, conscientious employees were found to be less distracted in their work. As Mateo et al [31] indicated, conscientious people are characterized by their accuracy on the job, especially when working in a tidy work environment. Contradicting to previous research [32], [33] is the finding that conscientious employees are more disengaged from their job.…”

Assessing the Safety Risks of Civil Engineering Laboratories Based on Lab Criticity Index: A Case Study in Jiangsu Province

“…Meanwhile, some civil engineering laboratories do not have much space. If the operator cannot well clean the laboratory, the environment of the civil engineering laboratories will become very messy, which will affect the quality of the operator’s experiments and easily cause accidents [ 84 , 85 ]. Similarly, management is also an invisible driving force for a clean laboratory environment.…”

The Role of Employee Engagement Mediates the Relationship of the Work Environment, Teamwork on Employee Performance

“…The work environment includes work relationships formed between fellow employees and work relations between subordinates and superiors as well as the physical environment where employees work Mateo et al, 2013;Jayaweera, 2015;Saputro, 2016, Pawirosumarto & Gunawan, 2017Adam, & Boateng, 2017;Meriläinen & Kõiv, 2018;Bibi, & Majid, 2018). Research Jayaweera, 2015;Rohail et al, 2017;and Raziq & Maulabakhsh, 2015 has proven that a pleasant work environment is very important to encourage the most productive levels of employee performance.…”