Perspective of Office Workers on Impact of Standardized Workplace Design on Performance
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Workplace design significantly influences employees’ work performance and productivity. Standardized workplace design refers to consistent office layouts and equipment across an organization. This study examined the impact of standardized workplace design on performance among office workers compared to traditional workplace design and studied its strengths and limitations as there are currently limited studies on standardized workplace design and its impact on work performance. Methods: An explorative qualitative study involving 12 office workers of private organizations in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur and Selangor areas. Participants, selected through a sociodemographic and occupation characteristics survey questionnaire, joined semi-structured online interviews, where the interview questions explored the impact of workplace design on musculoskeletal discomfort, psychosocial and work performance, the strengths and limitations of workplace design, and satisfaction with current standardized workplace design. Result: The seven main themes identified from the semi-structured interviews were: (1) Impact on musculoskeletal discomfort, (2) Impact on mental health, (3) Impact on work performance, (4) Impact on work satisfaction and engagement, (5) Strengths of standardized workplace design, (6) Limitations of standardized workplace design and (7) Workplace satisfaction. Conclusion: The design of workplace environments plays a pivotal role in influencing both physical comfort and mental well-being. Addressing musculoskeletal discomfort through ergonomic solutions, while also considering psychosocial factors, is essential for fostering a healthy, productive workplace. Organizations must balance the strengths of standardized designs with the need for personalization and flexibility to create an environment that supports all employees effectively.
Downloads
Article Details
References
Spaceist. Differences Between Traditional & Modern Offices. Spaceist; 2021[cited 2024 March 18]. Available from: https://www.spaceist.co.uk/blog/differences-between-traditional-modern-offices/
Mendis MVS. Workplace design and job performance: A study of operational level employees in the apparel industry of Sri Lanka. IJSRP. 2016;6(12):148-53.
Pitchforth J, Nelson-White E, Helder M, Oosting W. The work environment pilot: An experiment to determine the optimal office design for a technology company. PLoS One. 2020;15(5):1-33. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235428
Slighte P, Tanner M. Office space standards and guidelines. Government of the Northwest Territories, Public Works and Services; 2012.
Henarath HDNPO. Organizational behavior: The human side of work. Sri Lanka: Department of Human Resource Management, University of Sri Jayewardenapura; 2015.
Saha S. A study on impact of workplace design on employee’s productivity in selected IT companies in Pune region. IJBGM. 2016;5(1):25-38.
Mahmoud Ali El-Zeiny R. Interior design of workplace and performance relationship: Private sector corporations in Egypt. ajE-Bs. 2018;3(7):109-18. doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v3i7.263
Soewardi H, Dila A, Rizkiningtias P. Development of working environment comfort to improve productivity. In: Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE International Conference on Knowledge Engineering and Applications (ICKEA); 2016.
Daneshmandi H, Choobineh AR, Ghaem H, Alhamd M, Fakherpour A. The effect of musculoskeletal problems on fatigue and productivity of office personnel: a cross-sectional study. JPMH. 2017;58(3):252–8.
Kropman D, Appel-Meulenbroek R, Bergefurt L, LeBlanc P. The business case for a healthy office; a holistic overview of relations between office workspace design and mental health. Ergonomics. 2022;66(5):1–25. doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2022.2108905
Hennekam S, Richard S, Grima F. Coping with mental health conditions at work and its impact on self-perceived job performance. Employee Relations. 2020;42(3):626–45. doi.org/10.1108/er-05-2019-0211
Paje RC, Boco LB, Gloria JCA, Go HAR. The effect of workplace design on employee engagement, collaborative capability, and on perceived work performance in coworking spaces. Journal of Physics: Conference Series; 2020. doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032063
Braun V, Clarke V. Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage; 2013. doi.org/10.1177/0959353515614115
Andrew JB, Henry WW. Supporting Thinking on Sample Sizes for Thematic analyses: a quantitative tool. Int J Soc Res Methodol. 2015;18(6):669–84. doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2015.1005453
Babapour M. From fading novelty effects to emergent appreciation of Activity-based Flexible Offices: Comparing the individual, organisational and spatial adaptations in two case organisations. Applied Ergonomics. 2019;81. doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102877
Rolfö L, Eklund J, Jahncke H. Perceptions of performance and satisfaction after relocation to an activity-based office. Ergonomics. 2017;61(5):644–57. doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2017.1398844
Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 2006;3(2):77–101. doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bentley H, Wu T, Russell M, Fitzgerald S, Chapman N, Kolof H, et al. Assessment of musculoskeletal discomfort and evaluation of radiology workstation ergonomics in a national radiology workforce. Academic Radiology. 2022;30(10):2101-7. doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2022.12.007
Khandan M, Arab Z, Koohpaei A. High ergonomic risk of computer work postures among Iranian Hospital staff: Evidence from a cross-sectional study. Int J Hosp Res. 2016;5(1):29–34. doi.org/10.15171/ijhr.2016.06
Mishra S, Narendra P. An Overview of Ergonomics. J Ergon Res. 2020;3(1).
Lee S, DE Barros FC, DE Castro CSM, Sato TDO. Effect of an ergonomic intervention involving workstation adjustments on musculoskeletal pain in office workers—a randomized controlled clinical trial. Ind Health. 2021;59(2):78-85. doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.2020-0188
Herbig B, Schneider A, Nowak D. Does office space occupation matter? The role of the number of persons per enclosed office space, psychosocial work characteristics, and environmental satisfaction in the physical and mental health of employees. Indoor Air. 2015;26(5):755–67. doi.org/10.1111/ina.12263
Alyan E, Saad NM, Kamel N, Rahman MA. Workplace design-related stress effects on prefrontal cortex connectivity and neurovascular coupling. Applied Ergonomics. 2021;96. doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103497
Nika FA, Bashir I. Impact of psychological well-being on employee performance and productivity. Productivity. 2023;63(4):417–27. doi.org/10.32381/prod.2023.63.04.5
Edem MJ, Akpan EU, Pepple NM. Impact of workplace environment on health workers. Occup Med & Health Aff. 2017;5(2). doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000301
Vimalanathan K. Babu TR. The effect of indoor office environment on the work performance, health and well-being of office workers. J of Environ Health Sci and Eng. 2014;12. doi.org/10.1186/s40201-014-0113-7
Sepehri S, Aliabadi M, Golmohammadi R, Babamiri M. Human cognitive functions and psycho-physiological responses under low thermal conditions in a simulated office environment. Work. 2021;69(1):197–207. doi.org/10.3233/wor-213469
Afolayan MA, Fadeyi O, Nwachukwu C. Relationship between workplace design, ergonomics and organizational performance: A case study of West African Examination Council (WAEC). Management Strategies Journal. 2020;48(2):4-13.
Kumar GR, Bezawada ST. The impact of ergonomics on employees’ productivity in the architectural workplaces. IJEAT. 2019;8(5C):1122–32.
Salawati L, Abbas I. The application of ergonomics to improve work productivity. JKS. 2023;23(2):336–44. doi.org/10.24815/jks.v23i2.33566
Kapri V, Gulati R, Omar A. Healthy workplaces: Offices that support employee health and well-being. IJRASET. 2023;11(4):4194–206. doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2023.51242
Reijseger G, Schaufeli WB, Peeters MCW, Taris TW, Beek I, Ouweneel E. Watching the paint dry at work: psychometric examination of the Dutch Boredom Scale. Anxiety, Stress & Coping. 2013;26(5):508–25. doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2012.720676
Forastero A, Sjabadhyni B, Mustika MD. What millennials want: How to optimize their work. Psikohumaniora J Penelit Psikol. 2018;3(1):1-16. doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v3i1.2489
Sari SM. Implementation Of Personalization In The Interior Of Cubicle Workspace. In: Proceedings of the First International Seminar on Languare, Literature, Culture and Education, ISLLCE; 2020.
Hoeben C, Louw Q. Ergonomic chair intervention: Effect on chronic upper quadrant dysfunction, disability and productivity in female computer workers. S Afr J Physiother. 2014;70(2):11-8. doi.org/10.4102/sajp.v70i2.32
Evans B, Duffy VG. Ergonomic analysis through targeted industrial case review and company investment benefit. In: Proceedings of the HCI International 2022 – Late Breaking Papers: Ergonomics and Product Design; 2022.
Emmanuel S. Distributive Justice and Employee Satisfaction in Rivers State. AJSSHR. 2020;3(3):18–27.
Fincke I, Hieb A, Harth V, Mache S. Activity-based working: Qualitative analysis of working conditions and health-related outcomes. Work. 2020;67(3):625–39. doi.org/10.3233/wor-203313
Kim J, Candido C, Thomas L, Dear R. Desk ownership in the workplace: The effect of non-territorial working on employee workplace satisfaction, perceived productivity and health. Building and Environment. 2016;103:203–14. doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.04.015
Adu G, Adu S, Effah B, Frimpong-Mensah K, Albert Darkwa N. Office Furniture Design – Correlation of Worker and Chair Dimensions. IJSR. 2014;3(3):709–15.
Kumar SM, Kumar CN. Design of workstations for computer users: A review. IRE Journals. 2017;1(4):24-34.
Fassoulis K, Alexopoulos N. The workplace as a factor of job satisfaction and productivity. JFM. 2015;13(4):332–49. doi.org/10.1108/jfm-06-2014-0018