Workplace productivity and office type

Abstract

Open plan office environments are considered to offer workplace productivity benefits because of the opportunities that they create for interaction and knowledge exchange, but more recent research has highlighted noise, distraction and loss of privacy as significant productivity penalties with this office layout. This study aims to investigate if the purported productivity benefits of open plan outweigh the potential productivity penalties. Design/methodology/approach Previous research suggests that office environments are experienced differently according to the gender and age of the occupier across both open-plan and enclosed configurations. Empirical research undertaken with office occupiers in the Middle East (N=220) led to evaluations to establish the impact different offices had on perceived productivity. Factor analysis was used to establish five underlying components of office productivity. The five factors are subsequently used as the basis for comparison between office occupiers based on age, gender and office type. Findings This research shows that benefits and penalties to workplace productivity are experienced equally across open-plan and enclosed office environments. The greatest impact on perceived workplace productivity however was availability of a variety of physical layouts, control over interaction and the 'downtime' offered by social interaction points. Male occupiers and those from younger generations were also found to consider the office environment to have more of a negative impact on their perceived workplace productivity compared to female and older occupiers. Originality/value The originality of this paper is that it develops the concept of profiling office occupiers with the aim of better matching office provision. This paper aims to establish different occupier profiles based on age, gender and office type. Data analysis techniques such as factor analysis and t-test analysis identify the need for different spaces so that occupiers can choose the most appropriate space to best undertake a particular work task. In addition, it emphasises the value that occupiers place on 'downtime' leading to the need for appropriate social space.

Differences in Occupants’ Satisfaction and Perceived Productivity in High- and Low-Performance Offices

“…The second highest score difference when compared to the entire dataset was found for "Connection to the outdoor environment" (1.21, Table 4), which includes questionnaire items access to daylight, external view, and connection to the outdoors (Table 1). This finding supports the significance of innovative design [28,32], communication and collaboration [26,59], and aesthetics [60] on office worker's satisfaction. With respect to occupants' satisfaction, the study showed significant relationships with access to daylight and view as indicated in other similar studies [45][46][47].…”

“…• Visual comfort, access to daylight, and view [19][20][21]; • Noise distraction, lack of privacy, and communication [22][23][24][25][26][27]; • Office design [28][29][30][31][32][33].…”

“…It is observed that those office workers prefer to send e-mails instead of face-to-face collaboration and donning headphones to shut out their colleagues. Hence, without a physical barrier, they become clearly open for informal interaction, which can be detrimental for productivity [26]. In addition, open-plan arrangements reduce privacy and acoustic comfort [24,[50][51][52][53].…”

Understanding the Office: Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Measure Activities, Posture, Social Interactions, Mood, and Work Performance at the Workplace

“…Results from an early 20 th century study demonstrated that, although not working together, just being co-located in the same workspace increased the mental processes of association and thought [17], highlighting some benefits of being with others while working alone. A recent study by Haynes et al [18] also showed that social interactions and work interactions had positive associations with perceived impact on productivity. On the flip-side of this, the perceived ability to concentrate well depends on other environmental factors, with high noise levels and other distractions shown to have negative effects [19].…”

Does the Number of Occupants in an Office Influence Individual Perceptions of Comfort and Productivity?—New Evidence from 5000 Office Workers

“…There is ongoing debate on the type of office environment that is not only comfortable for occupants but supports and enhances productivity [1][2][3]. At the centre of the debate is the comfort of occupants in office environments [4].…”