Title: Personality, engagement and the office environment
Author: John Hackston
Affiliation: OPP Ltd
Abstract
Many workers are office-based, with open-plan offices the norm; hot-desking and
similar shared workspace arrangements are becoming increasingly common. Such
office layouts do not typically take into account the different personality preferences
of employees, and it has been suggested that such layouts may have a negative
impact on Introverts in particular. The purpose of the study was to explore
personality differences in attitudes to the office environment. As predicted, Extraverts
showed a significantly higher degree of both job satisfaction and happiness at work
than did Introverts in open-plan offices but not in other layouts, and those who were
allowed to personalise their workspace were more satisfied with their work
environment than those who were not (although here there was no significant
difference in job satisfaction or happiness at work). Other personality differences in
likes and dislikes in the office environment are also presented and discussed. The
findings are used to present recommendations for office design and layout in order to
best accommodate people of all personality types.
Keywords: workspace personality MBTI engagement office
1. Introduction
1.1. Overview
Despite the potential of technology to facilitate home working, many people are still
office workers, and open-plan office working is the norm. The adoption of open-plan
working may have been driven in part by a perception that such offices can facilitate
communication and diminish the negative effects of rigid hierarchies in organisations.
However, research suggests that these benefits, if indeed they exist, are outweighed
by the negative effects of the open-plan environment (Kim & de Dear, 2013), such as
noise levels, distraction, and lack of privacy. Nevertheless, open-plan offices
continue to increase in popularity in organisations, primarily for financial reasons
(Leach & Clegg, 2011).
Cost is also a driver of the move to ‘hot-desking’, where a worker no longer has their
own dedicated desk, but instead can use one of a number of desks, workstations or
areas that they share in common with other workers. Hot-desking and similar shared
workspace arrangements are becoming especially prevalent in areas where space is
expensive and at a premium; however they can reduce job satisfaction and worker
productivity (Bosch-Sijtsema et al, 2010). This may be because they have a negative
effect on an employee’s sense of security and of ownership of their ‘territory’; both
individuals and groups want to have ownership of that part of the workplace that is
‘theirs’ (Vischer, 2008). Other research (Wells, 2000) has posited a link between
personalisation of the work area and well-being, suggesting that the ability to
temporarily personalise a hot desk may increase resilience and ameliorate some of
the negative effects of shared workspace arrangements. By increasing worker
satisfaction, this may in turn increase productivity and have a positive impact on an
organisation’s bottom line (Zelenski et al, 2008).
In the past, a number of links have been made between personality and the working
environment. For example, Williams, Armstrong, & Malcolm (1985) discussed office
layout and allied factors in personality terms, and Salter (1995) ‘typed’ the
personality of the workplace. More recently, concerns have been raised about the
impact of the modern open-plan office environment on Introverts in particular,
claiming that they may be differentially effected by noise (Oseland, 2015), lack of
time alone and enforced interaction with others (Cain, 2012). This topic has however
received relatively little attention from I-O psychologists or other researchers, despite
the potential impact on the workforce.
1.2. Research aims and hypotheses
The purpose of this study was to investigate personality differences in attitudes to
the office environment, and use these to present practical recommendations for
change. The overall aims of the research were to:
Establish how individuals with different personality preferences differ in their likes
and dislikes to aspects of the office environment, and their attitudes to
personalisation of one’s workspace.
Investigate how these effects interact with satisfaction and happiness at work
Produce practical hints and tips to help organisations to develop better
workspaces, and individuals to adapt their workspace more effectively.
It was hypothesised that:
There would be differences between Extraverts and Introverts in terms of ideal
working environment, with the latter more likely to prefer private offices and
quieter working conditions.
Extraverts would in general tend to express greater levels of job satisfaction and
happiness at work, and this difference would be largest in the open-plan office
environments predicted to be the least congenial to Introverts. Previous research
(for example Diener et al, 1992) has suggested that Extraverts tend to express
greater levels of happiness and subjective well-being than Introverts, and we
expected to see this in this study. It has also been shown that when an
employee’s personality is matched with the nature of their work environment, they
are likely to report less anxiety and physical discomfort, and more job satisfaction
and social support, than those employees where there is a mismatch (Allread &
Marras, 2006). It was therefore predicted that the Extravert-Introvert difference
would be most noticeable for those working in more open-plan office
environments.
Individuals who were allowed to personalise their work area would show higher
levels of job satisfaction, happiness at work and satisfaction with their working
environment. Previous research (e.g. Wells et al, 2000) has suggested that those
who are able to personalise their work area are likely to have higher levels of
wellbeing. Other research has suggested that individuals have a wide range of
reasons for personalising their workplace (Byron & Laurence, 2015). We asked
respondents why they personalised their work area, and predicted a difference
between those with a personality preference for Thinking and those with a
personality preference for Feeling (see section 2 below for a description of the
personality measure used in this research).
There would be a number of differences in attitudes to the work environment, in
particular between Extraverts and Introverts and between those with a Judging
orientation and those with a Perceiving orientation. This latter personality
dichotomy, described in section 2 below, was predicted to be relevant as it
describes how an individual deals with their external environment.
By asking about features of the workplace in this way, we hoped to be able to
develop guidelines for making the office a congenial workspace for those of all
personality type
2. Methodology
Data was collected online from participants who had previously completed the MBTI®
questionnaire (Myers et al, 1998), and had feedback to help them decide on their
personality type. The MBTI model looks at four aspects of personality, as shown in
Table 1 below.
Table 1: The four dimensions of the MBTI model
Where do you get your energy from?
Extraversion (E)
Outside world of people and things or
Introversion (I)
Inner world of thought and reflection
What kind of information do you prefer to use?
Sensing (S)
Realistic, specific, factual or
Intuition (N)
Possibilities, connections, big picture
What process do you use to make decisions?
Thinking (T)
Logical, objective, impersonal reasoning or
Feeling (F)
Using values and seeking harmony
How do you deal with the world around you?
Judging (J)
Makes plans, structured, seeks closure or
Perceiving (P)
Flexible, spontaneous, unstructured
The questionnaire and associated feedback process allows the respondent to sort
themselves to one type within each dichotomy – E or I, S or N, T or F, and J or P.
These four areas are combined to describe an individual’s whole personality type;
there are, therefore, 16 possible types (ISTJ, ISFJ, INFJ, ISFJ, ISTP, ISFP, INFP,
INTP, ESTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, ESFJ, ESTP, ESFP, ENFP, and ENTP).
Likes and dislikes within the workspace, attitudes to personalisation and happiness
and job satisfaction were assessed by a survey developed for this research project.
The survey asked for demographic information and also included questions on:
The respondent’s preferred or ideal working environment and their actual working
environment.
Satisfaction and happiness at work and how this is affected by the work
environment.
Personalisation of the work area..
Likes and dislikes within the work environment.
The survey may be viewed online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/typeenviro.
311 people completed the survey. 71% were female; the average (mean) age was
47 years. Job level varied from employee up to executive or owner. The majority
(59%) worked principally in the UK, with 18% in the remainder of Europe, 17% in the
USA and 6% in the rest of the world.
3. Results
3.1. Preferred and actual working environment
Within the group as a whole, there were clear differences between respondents’
preferred or ideal working environment, and the environment that they actually
worked in. For example, a large number of people worked in a fully open-plan office,
but far fewer preferred to work in this environment; many people would prefer a
private office, but fewer had this opportunity. These differences are illustrated in
figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Actual and preferred offices
There were no statistically significant personality differences between respondents in
terms of the actual offices that they worked in, but there were in terms of their
preferred or ideal office. A much smaller percentage of Introverts than Extraverts
preferred open plan offices or a small shared office; Introverts were especially likely
to prefer a private office, and more likely than Extraverts to prefer a home office.
These differences are illustrated in figure 2 below.
Figure 2: Differences in office preference between Introverts and Extraverts
Chi square =
18.29, df=5,
sig=0.00
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Fully open plan
Open plan with
partitions or
cubicles
Office shared by 2-
6 people
Private office
Home office Other
Nu
mb
er
of
pe
op
le
Actual Preferred
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Fully open plan
Open plan with
partitions or
cubicles
Office shared by 2-6
people
Private office Home office Other
% of Extraverts % of Introverts
3.2. Satisfaction and happiness at work
Job satisfaction and happiness at work were measured in the survey by two
questions, both rated on a five-point scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly
agree”. As shown in table 2 below, Extraverts state that they have significantly higher
degree of job satisfaction and happiness at work than do Introverts, with a moderate
effect size.
Table 2: Extravert-Introvert differences in job satisfaction and happiness
Item Extravert
mean
Introvert
mean
Sig
(t-test)
Cohen d
I have a great deal of job satisfaction 4.15 3.90 0.01 0.30
I’m very happy at work 4.03 3.68 0.00 0.41
It was predicted that this difference would be most noticeable for those working in
more open-plan office environments. As shown in table 3 below, this was found to be
the case. Both job satisfaction and happiness at work were significantly higher for
Extraverts than Introverts in open-plan office environments, with moderate to large
effect sizes. For small shared offices, private offices or home offices, differences
between Extraverts and Introverts did not reach significance.
Table 3: Extravert-Introvert differences in job satisfaction and happiness for different
office environments
Office environment I have a great deal of job satisfaction
Extravert mean
Introvert mean
Sig (t-test)
Cohen d
Fully open plan office 4.13 3.66 0.01 0.58
Open plan with partitions or cubicles 4.32 3.47 0.00 1.19
Office shared by 2-6 people 4.12 3.80 NS (0.41)
Private office 4.00 4.05 NS (0.05)
Home office 4.18 4.40 NS (0.28)
Office environment I’m very happy at work
Extravert mean
Introvert mean
Sig (t-test)
Cohen d
Fully open plan office 3.98 3.40 0.00 0.76
Open plan with partitions or cubicles 4.18 3.33 0.00 1.17
Office shared by 2-6 people 3.94 3.65 NS (0.38)
Private office 3.88 3.75 NS (0.12)
Home office 4.03 4.21 NS (0.19)
3.3. Effects of workplace personalisation
Previous research (Wells, 2000) has suggested that there is a link between
personalisation and well-being. This was partially borne out by our research. Though
there was no significant difference in terms of job satisfaction or happiness at work,
those who were not allowed to personalise their work area were less satisfied with
their work environment, as shown in table 4 below:
Table 4: Personalisation and satisfaction with the work environment
Item Allowed to
personalise
Not allowed to
personalise
Sig
(t-test)
Cohen
d
How satisfied are you with your
office or work environment?
3.65 3.00 0.03 0.55
There were no personality differences in the total number of personal items, although
those with a Thinking preference were more likely to have no personal items at all.
Interestingly, there was a significant correlation (r=0.23. significant at the 1% level)
between number of personal items and satisfaction with the working environment for
those with a Thinking preference; this correlation did not exist for those with a
Feeling preference. It may be that those with a Thinking preference do not always
see the need to personalise their work area – but that when they do, and do so
comprehensively, they become more satisfied with their work environment.
As predicted, there were some personality Type differences in the reasons chosen
for personalisation:
Feeling Types were more likely than Thinking Types to choose “Because
someone else cared enough to give you the item(s)” and “To remind yourself of
who you really are”
SF individuals (ISFJ, ISFP, ESFJ, ESFP) were more likely than others to choose
“Because someone else cared enough to give you the item(s)”, “To show others
what sort of person you are” and “To show others what you have achieved”
Those with Dominant Extraverted Feeling (ESFJ, ENFJ) were the most likely to
choose “To make you feel at home”; Extraverted Thinkers (ESTJ, ENTJ) were
particularly unlikely to pick this reason.
The most common reasons for personalisation, each chosen by over 30% of
respondents, were “Because someone cared enough to give you the item(s)” and
“To remind you of your home and/or family”. This is shown in figure 3 overleaf.
3.4. Likes and dislikes in the work environment
Respondents were asked for their level of agreement with 24 statements about their
working environment, on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The
average (mean) rating for each question is shown in figure 4 overleaf.
Figure 3: Reasons for personalisation
Figure 4: Mean rating for each question
0 10 20 30 40
Other
Because you feel you ought to
To show others what you have achieved
To share a joke with others in the of f ice
To show others what sort of person you are
To make you feel at home
To remind yourself of who you really are
To remind you of your home and/or family
Because someone cared enough to give you the item(s)
Percentage choosing each reason
Reasons for personalising the work area
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
It bothers me when someone has a bigger desk, a better location or a newer computer than I do
When I'm working at my computer, I'll often wear headphones
I don't mind hot-desking
I enjoy working with loud, extraverted people
I'm quite aware of the things that signify status in my office
I really like the idea of a 'clear desk' policy
I hate it when I have to move office, desk or location
I like working near my manager
I prefer it when my manager's desk is in a different part of the office
It annoys me when people have messy, cluttered desks
The design of objects at work, and how they look, is as important or almost as important as what they do
I find that I need lots of storage space
I'm happy where I am in my workplace; I wouldn't want to move to another part of the office
It gives me a buzz when we get great new gadgets in the office, things like a smart coffee machnine or a 3D printer
I enjoy working somewhere where there are lots of people
Having lots of people around distracts me from my work
At work, I don't like to sit still at my desk for too long
It's great when you work somewhere brightly painted, with lots of different colours and things to see and interact with
At work, I'm always on the go
For me, it is important that I am allowed to personalise my work area
I quite like a workplace that has something a bit quirky and different about it
It is important to me that there is a "quiet area" somewhere in the office
It is important that offices are well-designed and aethestically pleasing
It is important that I have my own desk and working area
Average Rating
Some features of the workplace were desired by almost everyone, such as having
one’s own desk and working area, having well-designed workplaces and having
‘quiet areas’ available. Others, such as desk-sharing or hot-desking, were disliked by
most people.
Other features of the workplace showed personality differences, most clearly
between Extraverts and Introverts and between those with a Judging and a
Perceiving preference. The questions showing a statistically significant difference
between each type dichotomy are shown in figures 5 to 8 below,
Figure 5: E-I differences in attitudes to the office environment
Although there are differences in degree, both Extraverts and Introverts want their
own desk and working area, which they can personalise; both like the idea of having
a “quiet area” in the office, and neither are particularly keen on hot-desking (although
Introverts have a greater dislike of this). However Extraverts are much less keen on
sitting still at their desk and Introverts much more likely to be distracted by having
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
I don't mind hot-desking
I enjoy working with loud, extraverted people
I hate it when I have to move office, desk or location
I'm happy where I am in my workplace; I wouldn't want to move to another part of the …
I enjoy working somewhere where there are lots of people
Having lots of people around distracts me from my work
At work, I don't like to sit still at my desk for too long
It's great when you work somewhere brightly painted, with lots of different colours and …
At work, I'm always on the go
For me, it is important that I am allowed to personalise my work area
It is important to me that there is a "quiet area" somewhere in the office
It is important that I have my own desk and working area
E I
lots of people around. Indeed Extraverts enjoy working somewhere where there are
lots of people around and don’t mind working with loud, Extraverted people;
Introverts don’t particularly enjoy the former and positively dislike the latter.
Figure 6: S-N differences in attitudes to the office environment
There are fewer S-N differences; those that do exist largely reflect the Intuitive
preference for the new and different.
Figure 7: T-F differences in attitudes to the office environment
For T-F, many of the results seem to reflect a greater appreciation of the aesthetics
of the workplace on behalf of those with a Feeling preference.
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
I enjoy working with loud, extraverted people
It gives me a buzz when we get great new gadgets in the office, things like a smart coffee …
I quite like a workplace that has something a bit quirky and different about it
S N
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
I prefer it when my manager's desk is in a different part of the office
The design of objects at work, and how they look, is as importamt or almost as important as what …
At work, I don't like to sit still at my desk for too long
It's great when you work somewhere brightly painted, with lots of different colours and …
For me, it is important that I am allowed to personalise my work area
It is important that offices are well-designed and aethestically pleasing
T F
Figure 8: J-P differences in attitudes to the office environment
The Judging-Perceiving dichotomy also shows a number of statistically significant
differences. As with Extraversion and Introversion, some of these are differences of
degree. For example, both Types think it is important to have their own desk or
working area, and neither like hot-desking, though those with a Judging preference
are particularly keen on the former and particularly down on the latter. More stark
differences are however seen in views around tidiness in the office. People with a
Perceiving preference are not keen on the idea of a ‘clear desk policy’, while those
with a Judging preference are ambivalent; Perceivers are not annoyed when people
have messy, cluttered desks, where Judgers typically are.
3.5. Type-specific likes and dislikes
MBTI practitioners will often use the concept of an individual’s dominant function in
interpreting MBTI results and using psychological Type. This dominant function acts
as the core of an individual’s personality (Myers and Kirby, 2000). The results of the
survey demonstrated that each of these dominant functions had their particular likes
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
I don't mind hot-desking
I really like the idea of a 'clear desk' policy
I hate it when I have to move office, desk or location
It annoys me when people have messy, cluttered desks
I enjoy working somewhere where there are lots of people
At work, I don't like to sit still at my desk for too long
It's great when you work somewhere brightly painted, with lots of different colours and …
I quite like a workplace that has something a bit quirky and different about it
It is important that I have my own desk and working area
J P
and dislikes when in terms of the work environment. These findings will be useful to
MBTI practitioners.
Introverted Sensing (ISTJ, ISFJ):
In general, Introverted Sensing people particularly dislike having to move office,
desk or location
Not particularly impressed by having new gadgets in the office
Don’t mind having to sit still at their desk
Particularly dislike the idea of ‘hot-desking’
More likely than most to need lots of storage space
Particularly unlikely to want to move to another part of the office.
Extraverted Sensing (ESTP, ESFP):
This group reports being the least likely to be distracted by having lots of people
around; indeed they really enjoy working somewhere where there are lots of
people
Enjoy working with loud, Extraverted people
Not overly concerned with having to move office, desk or location
Dislike having to sit still at their desk for too long
More likely than most to report always being on the go.
Introverted iNtuition (INFJ, INTJ):
Together with Introverted Feelers, the most likely to be distracted by having lots
of people around. They also don’t enjoy working somewhere where there are lots
of people.
Particularly dislike working with loud, extraverted people
Enjoy having new gadgets in the office
Especially keen that there is a ‘quiet area’ somewhere in the office
Particularly unlikely to want to move to another part of the office.
Extraverted iNtuition (ENTP, ENFP):
More likely than most to need lots of storage space
Particularly keen on a workplace that has something a bit quirky and different
about it.
Introverted Thinking (ISTP, INTP):
Introverted Thinkers are the least likely to be annoyed when people have messy,
cluttered desks, and if their own desk can be described in this way, may struggle
to see what others are concerned with. They particularly dislike the idea of a
‘clear desk’ policy.
Introverted Thinkers also see it as particularly important that they have their own
desk and working area
Don’t mind having to sit still at their desk
Especially keen that there is a ‘quiet area’ somewhere in the office
Less likely than most to need lots of storage space.
Extraverted Thinking (ESTJ, ENTJ):
Less concerned than most with having their own desk and working area
More likely than most to report always being on the go
Enjoy working with loud, Extraverted people.
Introverted Feeling (ISFP, INFP):
Introverted Feelers are especially likely to think that it is important that they are
allowed to personalise their work area – and are likely to become demotivated if
this is not the case. On average, they have eight personal items in their
workspace. Extraverted Thinking or Introverted Sensing colleagues or managers
may not appreciate how important this is to these individuals.
Together with Introverted iNtuitives, the most likely to be distracted by having lots
of people around. They also don’t enjoy working somewhere where there are lots
of people.
Dislike working with loud, Extraverted people
Not particularly impressed by having new gadgets in the office
Especially keen that there is a ’quiet area’ somewhere in the office.
Extraverted Feeling (ESFJ, ENFJ):
Feel that it is particularly important for them to have their own desk and working
area
Enjoy having new gadgets in the office
Particularly dislike the idea of ‘hot-desking’.
4. Conclusions and implications for practice
4.1. Introverts in the modern office
One of the findings of the survey was that in general, Extraverts reported significantly
higher levels of job satisfaction and happiness at work than did Introverts. 85% of
Extraverts, but only 73% of Introverts, agree or strongly agree with the statement “I
have a great deal of job satisfaction”; 81% of Extraverts, but only 61% of Introverts,
agree or strongly agree with “I’m very happy at work”. Introverts were also more
likely than Extraverts to disagree with both statements. This may be in part because
of the nature of the office environment; it has been suggested that the modern office
is “designed for Extraverts” (Cain, 2012). Indeed many of the trends in the design of
the modern office, while not always moving towards the preferences of Extraverts,
seem to be moving away from the preferences of Introverts. For example, open-plan
offices are common, and as office space gets more expensive, they are becoming
even more so. While open-plan offices are not especially popular with Extraverts,
they are much less popular with Introverts. Open-plan offices can also mean that lots
of people are around, and this may be less enjoyable for Introverts, especially those
sitting near a watercooler or other focal point for conversation. Hot-desking and desk
sharing is also becoming more common, and while this is not popular with Extraverts
it is much less popular with Introverts. Our research suggests that those with a
personality preference for Introverted Sensing (ISTJ, ISFJ), who make up over a
quarter of the UK working-age population (OPP 2011) particularly dislike hot-
desking. These trends are summarised in table 5 below:
Table 5: Office design trends and Extraversion-Introversion
Trend Extraversion-Introversion
More open-plan offices Not popular with either Extraverts or Introverts, but
especially unpopular with Introverts
Lots of people around (as a
consequence of open- plan
offices)
More distracting for Introverts, especially if those
people who are there act in a loud, Extraverted way.
More hot-desking and desk-
sharing
Not popular with either Extraverts or Introverts, but
much less popular with Introverts, particularly for
those with an Introverted Sensing preference.
Not having one’s own desk or
workspace area; having to
move location in the office
Introverts dislike this; Extraverts are more ambivalent
By creating a workplace that is arguably less conducive to job satisfaction and
happiness at work amongst Introverts, organisations risk demotivating a significant
part of the workforce. There are, however, a number of things that organisations can
do to counteract the negative effects of the modern workplace on Introverts. These
have been included in the recommendations in sections 4.3 and 4.4 below.
4.2. Other personality factors
There are a number of differences in likes and dislikes between those with a Sensing
preference and those with an Intuitive preference, and between those with a
Thinking preference and those with a Feeling preference. However these are largely
a matter of degree. For example, while those with a Feeling preference will tend to
agree with the statement “For me, it is important that I am allowed to personalise my
work area”, so will those with a Thinking preference, albeit less strongly. Some larger
personality differences are however found with the Judging - Perceiving dichotomy.
On the statements “It annoys me when people have messy, cluttered desks”, “I hate
it when I have to move office, desk or location” and “I really like the idea of a ‘clear
desk’ policy”, those with a Judging preference will tend to agree or be ambivalent,
while those with a Perceiving preference will tend to disagree. In order to avoid
demotivating or antagonising one or the other group, organisations will need to be
sensitive in introducing clear desk policies, hot-desking or office reorganisations.
4.3. Type-specific recommendations
For those who have completed the MBTI questionnaire and know their personality
type, the results of this study can be used to develop tailored recommendations.
These are shown in table 6 below.
Table 6: Type-specific recommendations
MBTI type Recommendations
Introverted Sensing If possible, avoid hot-desking; allocate a conventional
workspace that they can keep tidy, with plenty of storage
such as filing cabinets and trays to help them order and
record their work. Allow them to use walls and furniture to
create their own defined area of the office. Avoid relocating
them where possible.
Extraverted Sensing Extraverted Sensors enjoy interacting with others to get
tasks done with as much fun as possible. They will want an
environment where they do not have to stay at their desk,
preferring to get up and go to where the action is; if possible,
locate them where there are lots of people around.
Introverted Intuition These types will value workspaces that give them the
opportunity to reflect and allow ideas to form in their heads;
they typically enjoy gadgets and may use intriguing objects
to inspire original thinking. They will not appreciate others in
the office being loud and distracting and are likely to
gravitate towards a quiet area in the office to think if they
can’t find this at their desk.
Extraverted Intuition Enjoy the opportunity to bounce ideas and possibilities off
others and will love workspaces that enable them to
brainstorm, perhaps using flipcharts or whiteboards. They
also like an environment that is a little quirky or different;
bright colours and an interesting or unusual design will hold
particular appeal. Provide them with plenty of storage space.
Introverted Thinking Introverted thinkers like to have their own desk or work area
but are likely to be unfazed by the close proximity of others.
Their workspace may appear cluttered or untidy, but this is
typically organised chaos and they are likely to be
particularly resistant to the idea of a clear desk policy.
Ensure that there are ‘quiet areas’ available in the office.
Extraverted Thinking This group like to be in charge, organise others, and make
things happen, They will look for clear pathways to allow
them to get around the office, and meetings spaces where
they can gather and talk to their staff. They do not
necessarily need their own desk or working area.
Introverted Feeling Although caring and compassionate, these personality types
usually like to work alone but will surround themselves with a
collection of personal items. If they cannot personalise their
work area they may become demotivated. Provide partitions,
not only to keep the noise and distraction of others at a
distance, but also to provide a surface on which to keep the
special items that mean something to them personally.
Extraverted Feeling Supportive and friendly, they love to have colleagues around
and enjoy interaction, so they may not care for partitions or
cubicles. They value the ability to personalise their
workspace and may seek to encourage others to stop by for
a chat.
4.4. General recommendations for a better workplace
Different personality Types have different likes and dislikes. However, this research
suggests that there are several factors that generally may lead to greater satisfaction
with the working environment, as well as greater satisfaction with the job and greater
happiness at work. These factors will either act in a positive way for everyone, or be
positive for some Types and neutral for others. Some factors are outside an
organisation’s control; for example, in our study older respondents tended to be
more satisfied with their job. However, it is possible to compile a checklist of
environmental improvements:
Many organisations have open-plan offices; this may be because of a belief that
open-plan offices encourage greater communication, or because open-plan
offices are seen as a more efficient or less expensive use of resources. However,
in our study, those working in open-plan offices were among the least satisfied
with their work environment. Introverts in particular did lot like the idea of an
open-plan office. The data suggest that where possible, organisations should
move away from open-plan offices; small shared offices may be the best solution.
Often it may not be feasible to move away from an open-plan environment, but it
may still be possible to give the ‘feel’ of a small shared office, creating the illusion
of smallness and intimacy by careful attention to design and layout.
Organisations may create ‘neighbourhoods’ within open-plan offices using
partition panels, booths or storage. This may give the feel of smaller, more
intimate work zones and prevent large, noisy groups from overwhelming any one
area. Acoustic panels on storage units, walls and ceilings will also help to
mitigate against distracting noise in large open-plan layouts.
If possible, allow people to have their own desk or workspace in the office.
Although particularly important for those with an Introverted or Judging
personality preference, this is high on most people’s list of desirable workplace
features. Similarly, avoid ‘hot-desking’, if at all possible. Where it is really
unavoidable, provide mobile storage solutions to enable people to quickly and
easily establish a productive workspace anywhere in the office.
Let people personalise their work area. Those who are not allowed to do this are
less satisfied with their work environment and report less job satisfaction. Where
there is a clear desk policy and/or hot-desking, provide personal storage so that
people can keep personal items around them but easily clear them away at the
end of the day.
Have ‘quiet areas’ in the workplace. Even Extraverts think that this is a useful
feature. It is important to remember that ‘quiet’ does not necessarily mean
‘private’; small meeting rooms, breakout booths and informal seating areas can
all be useful. Ensure that these areas can legitimately be used as individual quiet
spaces and are not just reserved for use as ‘meeting rooms’.
Create areas where Extraverts can behave in a loud, extraverted way without
distracting Introverts. Look at the way that ‘traffic’ moves around the office and
place these spaces in the areas where people will gravitate to.
Pay attention to the appearance and aesthetics of the workplace. Although this is
more important to some personality types than others, for many it does relate to
satisfaction with the work environment and the job.
4.5. Looking to the future; HR and Facilities working together
In many organisations, issues such as staff motivation and psychological wellbeing
have historically been seen as the responsibility of Human Resources, while the
physical layout of the office has been seen as the responsibility of Facilities
Management. This has meant that the office environment and layout has to at least
some extent catered for the physical wellbeing of employees, but has not necessarily
paid attention to their psychological wellbeing. This study demonstrates that the
physical environment of the office does have an effect on job satisfaction and
happiness at work, and that the features of the office that relate to this may operate
differentially for people of different personality types. There is therefore a need for
the ‘people people’ and the ‘facilities people’ in organisations to work together to
promote a healthier workplace. There are now signs that this is beginning to take
place, for example with the joint publication in 2015 by the British Institute of
Facilities Management (BIFM) and the CIPD of the ‘Workplace Conversation’.
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