Work Space Adjustability, Storage, And Enclosure As Predictors Of Employee Reactions And Performance

Abstract

This study develops and tests a conceptual model of the relationships between work space adjustability, storage, and enclosure characteristics, mediating psychosocial perceptions of privacy, distractions, and communication, and outcome measures of satisfaction and performance. Building design and job level variables are also included in the model. A total of 541 managerial and nonmanagerial workers in 14 office buildings located across the United States provided data. Regression and path analyses reveal overall support for the relationships hypothesized by the model. The analyses show that adjustability and storage contribute directly to satisfaction and performance, and indirectly to these outcomes through mediating perceptions of the psychosocial environment. Enclosure played only a minor role in predicting mediating and outcome variables. One aspect of enclosure, type of partition surrounding the work space, predicts communication and privacy, but is only indirectly related to outcome measures. There is a negative relationship between number of floors and density of workers, and some psychosocial perceptions and satisfaction. A positive relationship was found between job level and satisfaction. The study illustrates the value of a multivariate approach to understanding the relative contributions of design variables to worker perceptions and behavior.