The association between office design and performance on demanding cognitive tasks

Seddigh, Aram; Stenfors, Cecilia; Berntson, Erik; Bååth, Rasmus; Sikström, Sverker; Westerlund, Hugo

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.05.001

Cited by 42 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Consequently, the results imply that employees perceived better possibilities to make decisions, concentrate, and reported having lower amount of memory loss. These findings may be explained by that decreased general noise level in the office environment decrease the interference of noise on higher cognitive functions, which are important for knowledge workers ability to carry out their tasks (Diamond, 2013;Lavie et al, 2004;Seddigh et al, 2014Seddigh et al, , 2015. These findings can also be related to the findings of Leather et al (2003) who reported that high noise levels in contrast to low noise levels interact with job strain and impact employees' job satisfaction, organisational commitment and symptoms of infectious diseases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…When STI exceeds 0.2 it begins to cause a decrease in performance with the highest decrement occurring around 0.6 (Hongisto, 2005). Furthermore, field studies also show that distractions and noise are present also in cell offices (Seddigh et al, 2015), even if open-plan office environments usually are associated with more noise and distractions (Kaarlela-Tuomaala et al, 2009;Seddigh, Berntson, Bodin Danielson, & Westerlund, 2014). Consequently, it would be more relevant to investigate the impact of different sound intensities or certain aspects of noise rather than comparing its presence with absence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of noise absorption variation in open-plan offices: A field study with a cross-over design

Seddigh

Berntson

Jönsson

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Psychology

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a b s t r a c tNoise has repeatedly been shown to be one of the most recurrent reasons for complaints in open-plan office environments. The aim of the present study was to investigate if enhanced or worsened sound absorption in open-plan offices is reflected in the employees' ratings of disturbances, cognitive stress, and professional efficacy. Employees working on two different floors of an office building were followed as three manipulations were made in room acoustics on each of the two floors by means of less or more absorbing tiles & wall absorbents. For one of the floors, the manipulations were from better to worse to better acoustical conditions, while for the other the manipulations were worse to better to worse. The acoustical effects of these manipulations were assessed according to the new ISO-standard (ISO-3382-3, 2012) for open-plan rooms acoustics. In addition, the employees responded to questionnaires after each change. Our analyses showed that within each floor enhanced acoustical conditions were associated with lower perceived disturbances and cognitive stress. There were no effects on professional efficiency. The results furthermore suggest that even a small deterioration in acoustical room properties measured according to the new ISO-standard for open-plan office acoustics has a negative impact on self-rated health and disturbances. This study supports previous studies demonstrating the importance of acoustics in work environments and shows that the measures suggested in the new ISO-standard can be used to adequately differentiate between better and worse room acoustics in open plan offices.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of noise absorption variation in open-plan offices: A field study with a cross-over design

Seddigh

Berntson

Jönsson

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Self Cite

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“…Another difference is that a large part of academic work demands an environment that enhances concentration. Earlier research has deemed open offices as less suitable for work demanding concentration (De Been & Beijer 2014, Gensler 2012, Seddigh et al 2015.…”

Section: Results In Relation To Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the office environment may affect factors that are important for organizational success, e.g. employee performance (Jahncke et al 2011, Seddigh et al, Seddigh et al 2015Kupritz 2001).…”

Section: Office Type Work Environment and Employee Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

What happens to the physical and psychosocial work environment when activity-based offices are introduced into academia?

Berthelsen

Muhonen

Toivanen³

2018

JCRE

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Purpose -Activity-based offices are still uncommon at universities, but there is an increase in their popularity now. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge about the importance of the physical work conditions for the psychosocial work environment within academia by analyzing how staff at a large Swedish university experienced the physical and psychosocial work environment before and after moving to activity-based offices.Design -A web-based survey was distributed to all employees at two faculties at a university three months before (2015, n=217, response rate 51%) and nine months after (2016, n=200, response rate 47%) relocation to a new activity-based university building.Findings -In the new premises, a vast majority (86%) always occupied the same place if it was vacant. Employees were working more often from home, which in turn may lead to further deterioration of the psychosocial work environment. Social community at work had declined and social support from colleagues and supervisors was perceived to have decreased. Participants were more likely to seek new jobs, and also job satisfaction was lower. No aspects in the physical or psychosocial work environment were perceived to have improved after the relocation.Research limitations -The study had a two-wave cross-sectional design, which does not allow establishing causal relations.Practical implications -There is reason to be cautious about relocation to activity-based offices at universities. The savings that the organization may make in costs for premises may lead to costs in other ways. The risk that staff cannot concentrate on their work in activity-based university workplaces and lose their sense of community with colleagues are factors which in the long run may lead to decreased efficiency, more conflicts and poorer well-being.Originality -This paper contributes new knowledge concerning changes in the physical and psychosocial work environment when relocating from cell offices to activity-based offices in a university setting.

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“…Seddigh et al (2015) ao estudar diferenças de performance em diferentes tipologias apresenta em seus dados suporte para a hipótese de que a memória da performance dos funcionários em escritórios de planta aberta menores é melhor comparada aos maiores, o que pode ser explicado pelo efeito acumulado de uma maior quantidade estímulos irrelevantes e interação social. Outro fator apontado pelo estudo foi a queda de performance e concentração em escritórios fechados, o que foi associado a estímulos menos relacionados a outros funcionários e sim relativos a outros aspectos, como tecnologias (telefones, e-mails) e ao desenvolvimento de estratégias para combater estímulos possivelmente desenvolvidas por funcionários em escritórios de planta livre.…”

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A influência do ambiente de trabalho na produtividade e qualidade do trabalho: percepção dos funcionários em um escritório do setor público

Martinez¹

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Agradeço à minha mãe, pelos princípios dados, pelo apoio, por acreditar mais do que eu acredito em mim mesma. Agradeço a toda a minha família por isso. Agradeço ao meu orientador, Edmundo Escrivão Filho, pela oportunidade, pelos ensinamentos e por também acreditar em mim. Agradeço à toda estrutura fornecida pela Universidade de São Paulo e seus funcionários. Agradeço aos professores que também me ajudaram no caminho, em especial ao professor Paulo Fujioka (IAU-USP) e Sheila W. Ornstein (FAU-USP). Agradeço também ao arquiteto Sergio Camargo, por compartilhar seu conhecimento. Agradeço aos funcionários do ICMC que me ajudaram no processo, em especial Paulo Ernesto Celestini e Cristiano Lancelotti, sem os quais não teria conseguido os dados que possibilitaram a conclusão deste trabalho. Agradeço aos meus amigos, que me deram força para continuar em momentos que eu não a tinha, em especial às minhas irmãs da República Carlota Joaquina, às minhas amigas Julia, Ana Rosa, e amigos da arquitetura, que me ajudaram a continuar no árduo caminho acadêmico. Agradeço a pessoas que não citarei, mas que também me apoiaram e me ajudaram a ser mais forte para passar por dificuldades que não me achei capaz. Agradeço aos amigos de laboratório que ganhei durante a pesquisa, que me ajudaram e seguem ajudando sempre, em especial à Fabiana, Mirian, Caio, Maria e Isotilia. Foi um prazer passar por esta jornada ao lado de vocês. Agradeço, por fim, mas não menos importante, aos caminhos da vida, pela força maior que sempre nos leva ao crescimento. E a quem faltar agradecer, me desculpo, agradeço também. RESUMO MARTINEZ, Marcella. A influência do ambiente de trabalho na produtividade e qualidade do trabalho: percepção dos funcionários em um escritório do setor público.

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The association between office design and performance on demanding cognitive tasks

Cited by 42 publications

References 38 publications

The effect of noise absorption variation in open-plan offices: A field study with a cross-over design

The effect of noise absorption variation in open-plan offices: A field study with a cross-over design

What happens to the physical and psychosocial work environment when activity-based offices are introduced into academia?

A influência do ambiente de trabalho na produtividade e qualidade do trabalho: percepção dos funcionários em um escritório do setor público

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