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Workspace environments
Comfort model of the workspace
Psychological Comfort
Functional comfort
Physical Comfort
Discomfort
Habitability Threshold
Typology of workspace
Ambient environmental conditions- Noise- Lighting- Air quality- Thermal comfort
Furniture layout and ergonomics- Workstations- Offices- Shared amenities
Process issues- User participation in design- Meeting organizational objectives
Typology of workspace
Satisfaction
Ambient conditions, layout- Do people like the conditions and layout?
Process issues- Do people report satisfaction with the work
environment?
Typology of workspace
Territoriality and Belonging
Ambient conditions
- how do conditions such as daylight, ventilation and control over interior conditions affect the way people feel about their work and workspace?
Furniture layout and ergonomics
- how do moves, changes of workspace affect peoples’ feelings about territory, privacy and social status
Process issues
- How does involving workers in decisions about workspace affect feelings of ownership and belonging and increase loyalty
Typology of workspace
Productivity
Ambient conditions- does changing environmental conditions help people
work better? faster?
Furniture layout and ergonomics- does changing the furniture, layouts location of
equipment, washrooms, help people work better? faster?
Process issues
- do environments designed to meet organizational goals and objectives have impact on organization the bottom line?
Getting to Work
Walk, Ride, Transit, Drive?
- Emphasis has been on encouraging people to choose less energy-intensive means of commuting- Examples:
- Bike Lanes; Transit Passes- Others??
Getting to work
Ways to get people out of their cars- Created demographic profiles of car and urban
transit riders- Used profiles to try to change peoples’
behaviour: - Cars are expensive to operate- Cars create problems
- Devised models of commuter preference- Provided positive information about urban transit- Evaluated existing transit systems- Offered reduced fares- Promoted car sharing
Getting to work
Commuting is stressful.
But…….
Majority still drive.
Sound - noise - music
an unwanted sound
- Noise
A desirable and beautiful sound
- Euphony
Noise to one is euphony to another,
Noise levels in offices range about 40 - 60 decibels
(whisper = 20db; alarm clock = 80; average fridge = 40; rocket blasting off = 200 db)
Sound – noise - music
Occupational settings- Can cause hearing loss
- Noise may be below acceptable thresholds (85db), but it can be irritating
- Psychological effects from noise can make conversation difficult- Implications for places (offices,
restaurants)?
Sound - noise - music
Noise harms performance when there is an interaction of:- Employee- Task- Noise
Noise increases stress levels resulting in job dissatisfaction
Increase noise levels = increase errors; lower-quality service; interpersonal relations.
For certain tasks noise may arouse a person enough to improve performance.
Sound - noise - music
Music can reduce stress
Natural sound reduces stress; reduces perceived pain; increases relaxation.
Most employees dislike noise; but, like music on the job.
- Noise hinders; music helps, employee performance
Sound – noise - music
Sounds tend to be interfering, coming and going
- Sound entering a place is annoying- When words escape over partitions too
easily, privacy is compromised,
Indoor climate
Is best measured by effective temperature- Includes humidity and air movements as
well as the temperature
Extreme effective temperatures do not affect work behaviour unless core body temperature is altered.
Effects of temperature are usually muffled by access to heavier or lighter clothing
Indoor climate
There a variety of temperature effects: - increase/decrease in physical performance; - increase/decrease in cognitive tasks
Are a result of - how temperature has been measured; - clothing factors (material, layers)- Acclimatization- Knowledge of coping strategies- Motivation- Type of work
Indoor climate
Comfort depends on perception and actual effective temperature
Optimal performance may be found outside the comfort range
Temperature stress - occurs when people are exposed to
temperatures far outside the comfort zone- People will adapt to extreme temperatures
after longer-term exposure to them
Workspace air
Factors that affect performance include:- Carbon monoxide- Air ions- Odours
Low concentrations of negative ions affect cognitive processes
High concentrations facilitate cognitive processes.
Workspace air
When carrying impurities, pollutants, health is severely affected
Lack of control over noticeably bad air fosters negative feelings among employees, promotes work sabotage and leads to high turnover.
Light, colour , windows
Light affects work behaviour when it is:- Insufficient (low productivity, accidents)- Improperly placed (glare, eyestrain)
Office lighting tends to be excessive – too much light, or, improper type of light which distorts colour
Access to natural light and views is psychologically and physiologically important (critical?)
Space, density, arrangements
Naturally occurring spatial arrangements have few effects on performance
Built arrangements effects performance- Employees are sensitive to space- Usually unhappy with existing arrangements
Organizations restrict degree to which employees may arrange or personalize their workspace
Most open-plan arrangements - Reduces desirable communication- Increases undesirable communication
Office arrangements lead visitors to form impressions of the office-holder’s character and status
Individual – group workspace
• The drive to personalize space is irresistible
• Provide people with the tools they need to do so• Create private spaces for workers
– doors, frosted glass • Grow the workspace
– incorporate views of nature– Use foliage, potted plants, planters
• Create territories for groups– Use of walls, ceiling height, partitions,
flooring, wall changes– Create collaborative spaces and ‘informal’
interaction spaces
What makes a great workplace
• The ability for individuals to perform distraction free work• Spaces that support collaboration and impromptu interaction• Spaces that support undistracted teamwork and meetings• Accommodation of personal work styles and workstation
personalization• Individual control for thermal comfort• Access to daylight• Control of glare factors• Workspace allocation by function• Clear wayfinding• Adjacencies to support workflow• Accommodations for changing demands of technology• Ergonomic accommodations • Professionally maintained plant program• Expression of organizational culture
Exercise E Assessing workspaces
Using a workplace with which you are familiar (or use a university building) and Table 1 Proposed Typology of Research on the Environmental Psychology of Workspace
1. Describe the environmental conditions that are displayed/contained in the workspace. Describe where each is located and how each is used.
2. Respond to the nine questions presented in Table 1
Satisfaction Territoriality and Belonging
Productivity
Ambient Environmental Conditions
Do you like:- Noise/Sound/Music- Lighting- Air Quality- Thermal comfort
How do you feel about conditions such as:DaylightVentilationControl over conditions
How does changing environmental conditions help you work better? faster?
Furniture and Office Layout
Do you like:- Workstations/area- Offices- Shared amenities
How do/would changes in workspace affect your feelings about:- Territory- Privacy- Social status
How does changing the furniture and layout help you work better? faster?
Process issues, User participation
What is your satisfaction with the work environment?What changes would you make?
How does being involved affect feelings of - Ownership- Belonging- Employee loyalty
How do environments designed to meet organizational goals impact the bottom line?
Apply the ideas
• Review the ideas contained in the section on workspaces and apply them to the design of your place.