Purpose

The purpose of this study is to learn to what extent the physical workspace can contribute to employee health and happiness. In this context, it introduces an evidence-based design concept and evaluation method for workplaces to transform the traditional subjective design process into a more objective, systematic approach. Identifying issues regarding physical design and work culture is assumed to lead to a better person-environment fit.

Design/methodology/approach

The study describes a comparison between a pre-measurement at an IT company’s old workplace and a post-measurement in the new location with a new office design. The independent variable is the objective quality of the physical work environment, which was determined by an interior quality index. The dependent variables were the perceived health, engagement, comfort and productivity, assessed by an online questionnaire and interviews.

Findings

The objective quality of the work environment improved remarkably, especially regarding sustainability, diversity, nature and the possibilities to move and relax. The subjective experience of employees also improved, specifically regarding feelings of comfort and energy, possibly because of a more inspirational and diverse environment, which also better captured the company identity. A more connected workspace moreover seemed to relate to more physical activity and personal contact, as well as to teamwork and productivity.

Originality/value

The study promotes an evidence-based design approach for design and real-state, encouraging all stakeholders to design responsibly: to work more closely together, take well-informed design decisions and evaluate and learn from what was “left behind.” It also stresses the power of tailor-made designs, as any design eventually is shaped by its broader cultural context.

中文翻译：

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自豪感和生产力–引入和测试HealingOffices®设计概念

目的

这项研究的目的是了解工作空间在多大程度上可以促进员工的健康和幸福。在这种情况下，它为工作场所引入了基于证据的设计理念和评估方法，以将传统的主观设计过程转变为更加客观，系统的方法。识别有关物理设计和工作文化的问题被认为可以改善人与环境的适应性。

设计/方法/方法

这项研究描述了IT公司旧工作场所的预测量与新办公室设计的新位置的后测量之间的比较。自变量是物理工作环境的客观质量，它是由内部质量指标确定的。因变量是通过在线问卷调查和访谈评估的感知健康，参与度，舒适度和生产率。

发现

工作环境的客观质量显着提高，尤其是在可持续性，多样性，自然以及迁徙和放松的可能性方面。员工的主观体验也得到了改善，特别是在舒适感和活力方面，这可能是由于更具启发性和多样化的环境，也更好地体现了公司形象。此外，更紧密联系的工作空间似乎与更多的体力活动和个人联系以及团队合作和生产力有关。

创意/价值

该研究促进了针对设计和实际状态的基于证据的设计方法，鼓励所有利益相关者以负责任的方式进行设计：更加紧密地合作，做出明智的设计决策，并从“遗留的东西”中进行评估和学习。它还强调了量身定制的设计的力量，因为任何设计最终都会受到其更广泛的文化背景的影响。