A longitudinal investigation of work environment stressors on the performance and wellbeing of office workers

Decision made, good feelings fade? How noise and multitasking affect decision confidence and well-being

Objectives. This study aimed to examine the influence of office noise and multitasking on decision confidence, overconfidence, satisfaction, calibration and affective well-being. Detrimental effects of noise and multitasking on perceived annoyance and concentration are well documented. Little is known about whether decision confidence and well-being during decisions are also affected. Methods. The study was a between-subjects laboratory experiment (n = 109) involving a noise condition with office noise presented through headphones (A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level of LAeq = 60 dB), a multitasking condition with an email-sorting task as the primary task and a control condition. Results. Compared to the control condition, subjects in the noise and multitasking conditions exhibited overestimation of confidence. There was also a significant decrease in well-being for people in the noise condition. Calibration was not affected. Conclusion. In the case of noise, well-being is affected even before the thresholds of workplace legislation are reached. Undue overconfidence can have detrimental effects upon subsequent decisions and risk-taking. Findings suggest that there should be greater consideration of environmental influences during decision-making in work environments.

Restorative Effects of Biophilic Workplace and Nature Exposure during Working Time: A Systematic Review

The work environment plays a crucial role in the health and performance of employees. The growing interest in workers' well-being has driven the inclusion of nature in workplaces, despite many employees spending most of their time indoors, away from nature. Studies show that biophilic design in offices can have positive effects and promote workers' well-being. However, research on the beneficial effects of nature exposure in the workplace is limited and scattered. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to consolidate current knowledge on the restorative effects of nature exposure on workers during work activities. Different types of exposure, both outdoors and indoors, were considered, with a focus on outcomes related to well-being, motivation, job satisfaction, and work performance. Out of the initially identified 1225 articles, only 16 met the criteria for analysis. Although the analysed studies provided compelling evidence regarding the restorative effects of nature exposure in the workplace, the review also points out gaps and limitations concerning the number of specific studies in this area and the need to adequately assess the sensory dimensions involved in these effects. Conducting more comprehensive and multidimensional investigations into the impacts of nature on the work environment could contribute to guiding more effective design strategies and creating healthier and more productive workplaces for employees.

Factors associated with injury among Maine logging workers

INTRODUCTION

Despite dramatic improvements in safety, logging remains one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore longitudinal injury trends among Maine logging workers.

METHODS

Loggers participated in seven quarterly surveys, over the course of 18 months. Categorical and free text data related to traumatic and acute injury, musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), and chronic pain were exported from REDCap into SAS 9.4, Excel, and NVivo, for quantitative and qualitative analysis, respectively. Time to injury was modeled using two different approaches: (1) time to the occurrence of first injury modeled by proportional hazard regression and (2) an intensity model for injury frequency. Two research team members also analyzed qualitative data using a content analysis approach.

RESULTS

During the study, 204 injuries were reported. Of the 154 participants, 93 (60.4%) reported musculoskeletal pain on at least one survey. The majority of injuries were traumatic, including fractures, sprains, and strains. Lack of health insurance was found to be related to increased risk of first injury [HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 0.97-2.04, p = 0.069]. Variables found to be related to injury intensity at the univariate level were: (1) a lack of health insurance [HR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.04-2.20, p = 0.030], (2) age [HR for 10-year age increase;= 1.12, 95% CI = 0.99-1.27, p = 0.082], and (3) years employed in logging industry [HR for 10-year increase = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.99-1.26, p = 0.052]. Seeking medical attention for injury was not a priority for this cohort, and narratives revealed a trend for self-assessment. A variety of barriers, including finances, prevented loggers from seeking medical attention.

DISCUSSION

We found that loggers still experience serious, and sometimes disabling, injuries associated with their work. It was unsurprising that many injuries were due to slips, trips, and falls, along with contact with logging equipment and trees/logs. The narratives revealed various obstacles preventing loggers from achieving optimal health. Examples included geographic distance from healthcare, lack of time to access care, and entrenched values that prioritized independence and traditional masculinity. Financial considerations were also consistently cited as a primary barrier to adequate care.

CONCLUSION

There is a continued need to emphasize occupational health and safety in the logging industry. Implementation of relevant safety programs is key, but it is likely that the benefits of these will not be fully realized until a cultural shift takes place within this industry.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ): A Comparison between TOPSIS- and PROMETHEE-Based Approaches for Indirect Eliciting of Category Weights

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has received a great deal of attention in recent years due to the relationship between worker comfort and productivity. Many academics have studied IEQ from both a building design and an IEQ assessment perspective. This latter line of research has mostly used direct eliciting to obtain weights assigned to IEQ categories such as thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort, and indoor air quality. We found only one application of indirect eliciting in the literature. Such indirect eliciting operates without the need for imprecise direct weighing and requires only comfort evaluations, which is in line with the Industry 5.0 paradigm of individual, dynamic, and integrated IEQ evaluation. In this paper, we use a case study to compare the only indirect eliciting model already applied to IEQ, based on TOPSIS, to an indirect eliciting method based on PROMETHEE and to a classical direct eliciting method (AHP). The results demonstrate the superiority of indirect eliciting in reconstructing individual preferences related to perceived global comfort.

Occupational heat stress, heat-related effects and the related social and economic loss: a scoping literature review

Introduction

While there is consistent evidence on the effects of heat on workers' health and safety, the evidence on the resulting social and economic impacts is still limited. A scoping literature review was carried out to update the knowledge about social and economic impacts related to workplace heat exposure.

Methods

The literature search was conducted in two bibliographic databases (Web of Science and PubMed), to select publications from 2010 to April 2022.

Results

A total of 89 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis (32 field studies, 8 studies estimating healthcare-related costs, and 49 economic studies). Overall, consistent evidence of the socioeconomic impacts of heat exposure in the workplace emerges. Actual productivity losses at the global level are nearly 10% and are expected to increase up to 30-40% under the worst climate change scenario by the end of the century. Vulnerable regions are mainly low-latitude and low- and middle-income countries with a greater proportion of outdoor workers but include also areas from developed countries such as southern Europe. The most affected sectors are agriculture and construction. There is limited evidence regarding the role of cooling measures and changes in the work/rest schedule in mitigating heat-related productivity loss.

Conclusion

The available evidence highlights the need for strengthening prevention efforts to enhance workers' awareness and resilience toward occupational heat exposure, particularly in low- and middle-income countries but also in some areas of developed countries where an increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves is expected under future climate change scenarios.

Working from home during lockdown: the association between rest breaks and well-being

One of the challenges with working from home (WFH) is the question of its effect on health and well-being. The impact of home working on health has so far not been studied extensively. We address this gap by investigating the association between internal recovery, operationalised as rest break frequency (low, medium, and high) during the working day, on self-reported musculoskeletal pain, and post-work recovery symptoms in WFH knowledge workers (n = 382). The analysis showed that failing to take frequent breaks was associated with a dose-response increased risk of reporting headaches. For post-work recovery symptoms, failing to take rest breaks throughout the day was associated with an increased risk of reporting psychological fatigue, physical fatigue, and sleep problems, and a decreased risk of psychologically detaching from work and experiencing adequate rest. Our findings emphasise the importance of remote workers taking recovery breaks from work demands in the maintenance of health and well-being.Practitioner Summary: For the foreseeable future, many knowledge workers will be obliged to work from home for at least, some days of the week. It is therefore important for workers to learn to regulate their behaviour, and workers need to be educated about the value of taking regular rest breaks throughout the working day.Abbreviations: ICT: Information and communications technology; MSDs: musculoskeletal disorders; MSPs: Musculoskeletal pain symptoms; OR: Odds ratio; WFH: Working from home; WRRQ: Work-Related Rumination Questionnaire Questionnaire.

Investigation of the multi-component ergonomics intervention effects on improving musculoskeletal outcomes and speech communication: A case study in open-plan offices

BACKGROUND

Office workers are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) due to improper workstations. Open-plan bank office employees must communicate with bank clerks properly and perform financial activity precisely, but noise is a factor that disrupts their communication. Therefore, MSS and annoying noise are two of the main problems in open-plan offices.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the effects of a multi-component intervention involving individual (employee ergonomics training) and physical (improvements in workstation design and work environment) ergonomic factors on musculoskeletal outcomes and speech communication in open-plan environments.

METHODS

A preliminary survey was carried out to investigate the overall ergonomics problems, the tasks and time analysis, workstations setup, the prevalence of MSS (Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire), physical discomfort (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]), and posture (assessed by Rapid Upper Limb Assessment [RULA] method), environmental status (measurement of noise), and speech intelligibility (assessed by Speech Interference Level [SIL] method based on ISO 9921). The multi-component interventions were performed afterward based on the data collected. A baseline assessment and a 9-month follow-up assessment were conducted.

RESULTS

The results showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints (shoulders, elbows, and low back), physical discomfort, and awkward working postures after the intervention. A considerable improvement was also found in speech intelligibility post-intervention. The post-intervention questionnaire survey also indicated that employees generally favored the redesigned workstations.

CONCLUSION

The results support the effectiveness of implementing multi-component interventions in open-plan bank offices to improve musculoskeletal complaints and speech communication.

The Mediating Effect of Fatigue on the Nature Element, Organisational Culture and Task Performance in Central Taiwan

In the current dynamic business environment, managing the physical working environment of the workforce has become an important part of the company. This study seeks to investigate the effects of the nature element and organisational culture on the task performance of employees with fatigue as a mediator, based on a sample of 103 white-collar employees who work in the central district of Taichung City during the spring and using a purposive sampling method. The data were collected through a self-administered subjective measurement instrument questionnaire and were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) path analysis. The results show that organisational culture and task performance were significantly positive. The mediating effect of fatigue caused this relationship to become negative. It was also found that there was a negative relationship between nature elements and task performance. The results provide insights into the importance of employers in providing a healthy workplace which promotes collaboration, health, safety, and the wellbeing of the employee in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The study concludes that future international comparative studies can be performed to identify the best workplace design that can reduce employees’ fatigue and alleviate their current work performance.

Examining the effects of chronic pain on work performance in the military

BACKGROUND

Effectively managing pain is a unique challenge for the U.S. military. Chronic pain has a tremendous detrimental impact on mission readiness throughout the Armed Forces. Examining the effects of chronic pain on readiness is critical to understanding and addressing these challenges.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of chronic pain and sleep disruption in the context of work performance among active duty military service members.

METHODOLOGICAL ORIENTATION

The study design was a cross-sectional observational study that examined associations between patients with chronic pain and sleep disruption, in the context of work performance.

RESULTS

One hundred forty-five participants completed the study. Age, depression, sleep, and pain severity were consistently strong predictors of work performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients performed better with age, whereas those with depression, sleep disruption, and increased pain severity performed poorly.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Research focused on the differences in work performance among age groups may provide a better understanding of coping strategies. Focused depression research can lead to a greater understanding of how mental health affects pain, sleep, and work. The findings of this study open the door to explore multiple approaches that could lead to treatments and preventions for military members living with chronic pain.

How Does Office Design Support Employees' Health? A Case Study on the Relationships among Employees' Perceptions of the Office Environment, Their Sense of Coherence and Office Design

This study investigated the current design circumstances of an office as well as employees’ perceptions of the office environment in relation to their perceived health, drawing on sense of coherence theory (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness). Previous studies have related the physical office environment to employee health. However, most studies have focused on alleviating negative effects, while health-promoting potential, including employee sense of coherence, has been overlooked. This study adopted a mixed method case study approach, combining semi-structured interviews with employees, structured observations, and analysis of architectural drawings. The results indicated that employees’ perceptions did not always align with the ideas behind the architectural design and that employees understood the environment differently. The study also highlighted the interrelations (and contradictions) among the different components of sense of coherence. The findings imply that organizations may need to prioritize which components of coherence should be supported most by the office environment. It also suggests that case-specific design aspects should play a more central role in studying and conceptualizing healthy office design and that design solutions should be continuously modified during the use phase, while ensuring employees’ participation. The study concluded that an ‘ideal’ office environment should not be the goal. Instead, office design should provide an environment in which employees are able to cope with challenges in comprehensible, manageable and meaningful ways.

Evaluation of a natural workspace intervention with active design features on movement, interaction and health

BACKGROUND

There is increasing focus on designing workspaces that promote less sitting, more movement and interaction to improve physical and mental health.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluates a natural intervention of a new workplace with active design features and its relocation to a greener and open space.

METHODS

An ecological model was used to understand how organisations implement change. Pre and post survey data from 221 matched cases of workers and accelerometery data (n = 50) were analysed.

RESULTS

Results show a decrease in occupational sitting (-20.65 mins/workday, p = 0.001) and an increase in workplace walking (+5.61 mins/workday, p = 0.001) using survey data, and accelerometery data (occupational sitting time: -31.0 mins/workday, p = 0.035, standing time: +22.0 mins/workday, p = 0.022, stepping time: +11.0 mins/workday, p = 0.001). Improvements in interaction, musculoskeletal pain and mental health were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Application of the ecological model shows that the organisation understands how to target the built environment and social/cultural environment but not how to target behaviour change at the individual level.

Identifying interior design strategies for healthy workplaces – a literature review

Purpose

It is widely recognized that interior office space can affect health in several ways. Strategic and evidence-based design, including explicit design objectives, well-chosen design solutions and evaluation of results, aid realization of desired health effects. Therefore, this paper aims to identify possibly effective interior design strategies and accompanying design solutions and to provide examples of effectiveness measures.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature sample of 59 peer-reviewed papers published across disciplines was used to collect examples of workplace design features that have positively influenced workers’ well-being. The papers were grouped by their health objective and design scope successively and their theoretical assumptions, measures and findings were analyzed.

Findings

Four main workplace design strategies were identified. Design for comfort aims at reducing or preventing health complaints, discomfort and stress, following a pathogenic approach. It has the longest tradition and is the most frequently addressed in the included papers. The other three take a salutogenic approach, promoting health by increasing resources for coping with demands through positive design. Design for restoration supports physical and mental recovery through connections with nature. Design for social well-being facilitates social cohesion and feelings of belonging. Design for healthy behavior aims at nudging physical activity in the workplace.

Originality/value

By drawing complementary perspectives and offering examples of design solutions and effectiveness measures, this paper encourages workplace designers, managers and researchers to take a transdisciplinary and evidence-based approach to healthy workplaces. It also serves as a starting point for future empirical research.

The impact of healthy workplaces on employee satisfaction, productivity and costs

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the added value of healthy workplaces for employees and organizations, in particular regarding employee satisfaction, labour productivity and facility cost.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a narrative review of journal papers and other sources covering the fields of building research, corporate real estate management, facilities management, environmental psychology and ergonomics.

Findings

The review supports the assumption of positive impacts of appropriate building characteristics on health, satisfaction and productivity. Correlations between these impacts are still underexposed. Data on cost and economic benefits of healthy workplace characteristics is limited, and mainly regard reduced sickness absence. The discussed papers indicate that investing in healthy work environments is cost-effective.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationships between physical characteristics of the environment and health, satisfaction, productivity and costs. These insights can be used to assess work environments on these topics, and to identify appropriate interventions in value-adding management of buildings and facilities.

Monitoring and Assessment of Indoor Environmental Conditions after the Implementation of COVID-19-Based Ventilation Strategies in an Educational Building in Southern Spain

Since students and teachers spend much of their time in educational buildings, it is critical to provide good levels of indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The current COVID-19 pandemic has shown that maintaining a good indoor air quality level is an effective measure to control the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study used sensors to monitor key IEQ factors and assess several natural ventilation scenarios in a classroom of the University of Granada. Subsequently, the IEQ factors (temperature, relative humidity, CO₂ concentration, acoustic environment, and air velocity) were evaluated for the selected ventilation scenarios in the occupied classroom, and the field monitoring was carried out in two different assessment periods, winter and summer. The obtained results show that the CO₂ concentration levels were well below the recommended limits. However, the maintenance of the recommended thermal and acoustic IEQ factors was significantly affected by the natural ventilation strategies (temperature and relative humidity values were very close to the outside values, and the background sound pressure level was over 35 dBA during the entire assessment). The proper measurements and careful selection of the appropriate ventilation scenarios become of utmost importance to ensure that the ventilation rates required by the health authorities are achieved.

A Participatory Interior Design Approach for a Restorative Work Environment: A Research-Intervention

Exposure to environmental stressors has physical and psychological consequences. A demanding physical environment involves the allocation of additional attentional resources and an increase in psycho-physical stress. This study illustrates the process of a research-intervention aimed at designing a workplace, using a participatory design approach, and considering the beneficial effect of restorative environments in reducing stressful elements and improving well-being at work. Stressful situations occur daily, compromising proper functioning while causing the occurrence of physiological and/or psychological disorders. To be able to safeguard their psycho-physical well-being, people normally adopt coping strategies, i.e., remedies that allow them to cope and manage situations that generate stress. One of these strategies is the exposure to natural environments, which promotes recovery and sustains psycho-physical well-being. The restorative properties of natural environments have been scientifically proven. However, even built spaces can be thought of as restorative environments, in particular when certain conditions are granted. An applied science, known as biophilic design, provides useful indications from this perspective. This project involved 57 employees of the Italian site of an international non-governmental organization, in the transition from a site no longer adequate to a new site requiring renovation. In a first phase, a survey was conducted, to verify the perceived quality of the current workplace and to detect the unmet workers' needs, and to assess some other important psychological constructs connected with perception of restorativeness and well-being. In a second phase, the findings emerged from the survey was analyzed in depth through a participatory interior design process, together with an interdisciplinary team of architects, technicians of the organization and environmental psychology researchers. The team, together with some representatives of employees, worked together through possible scenarios, adopting a biophilic design approach, to design the new workplace. At the end, the same survey of the first phase was conducted, to detect differences in perceived quality in the new workplace compared to the previous one.

Analysis of Impact of Natural Ventilation Strategies in Ventilation Rates and Indoor Environmental Acoustics Using Sensor Measurement Data in Educational Buildings

Indoor environmental conditions can significantly affect occupants’ health and comfort. These conditions are especially important in educational buildings, where students, teachers and staff spend long periods of the day and are vulnerable to these factors. Recently, indoor air quality has been a focus of attention to ensure that disease transmission in these spaces is minimised. In order to increase the knowledge in this field, experimental tests have been carried out to characterise the impact of natural ventilation strategies on indoor air quality and the acoustic environment. This study has evaluated three ventilation scenarios in four different classrooms in buildings of the University of Granada, considering different window and door opening configurations. Ventilation rates were estimated using the CO₂ Decay Method, and background noise recordings were made in each classroom for acoustic tests. Results show that specific natural ventilation strategies have a relevant impact that is worth considering on the background noise in indoor spaces. In this sense ventilation rates provided by the different configurations varied between 3.7 and 39.8 air changes per hour (ACH) and the acoustic tests show a background noise ranging from 43 to 54 dBA in these scenarios. Consequently, managers and teachers should take into account not only the ACH, but also other collateral impacts on the indoor environmental conditions such as the thermal comfort or the acoustic environment.

Presumed Exposure to Chemical Pollutants and Experienced Health Impacts among Warehouse Workers at Logistics Companies: A Cross-Sectional Survey

During intercontinental shipping, freight containers and other closed transport devices are applied. These closed spaces can be polluted with various harmful chemicals that may accumulate in poorly ventilated environments. The major pollutants are residues of pesticides used for fumigation as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the goods. While handling cargos at logistics companies, workers can be exposed to these pollutants, frequently without adequate occupational health and safety precautions. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among potentially exposed warehouse workers and office workers as controls at Hungarian logistics companies (1) to investigate the health effects of chemical pollutants occurring in closed spaces of transportation and storage and (2) to collect information about the knowledge of and attitude toward workplace chemical exposures as well as the occupational health and safety precautions applied. Pre-existing medical conditions did not show any significant difference between the working groups. Numbness or heaviness in the arms and legs (AOR = 3.99; 95% CI = 1.72–9.26) and dry cough (AOR = 2.32; 95% CI = 1.09–4.93) were significantly associated with working in closed environments of transportation and storage, while forgetfulness (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.18–0.87), sleep disturbances (AOR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17–0.78), and tiredness after waking up (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.20–0.79) were significantly associated with employment in office. Warehouse workers who completed specific workplace health and safety training had more detailed knowledge related to this workplace chemical issue (AOR = 8.18; 95% CI = 3.47–19.27), and they were significantly more likely to use certain preventive measures. Warehouse workers involved in handling cargos at logistics companies may be exposed to different chemical pollutants, and the related health risks remain unknown if the presence of these chemicals is not recognized. Applied occupational health and safety measures at logistics companies are not adequate enough to manage this chemical safety issue, which warrants awareness raising and the introduction of effective preventive strategies to protect workers’ health at logistics companies.

Open-plan office noise is stressful: multimodal stress detection in a simulated work environment

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019)-induced changes in the workplace present a timely opportunity for human resource management practitioners to consider and remediate the deleterious effects of noise, a commonly cited complaint of employees working in open-plan office (OPO) environments. While self-reports suggest that OPO noise is perceived as a stressor, there is little experimental research comprehensively investigating the effects of noise on employees in terms of their cognitive performance, physiological indicators of stress, and affect. Employing a simulated office setting, we compared the effects of a typical OPO auditory environment to a quieter private office auditory environment on a range of objective and subjective measures of well-being and performance. While OPO noise did not reduce immediate cognitive task performance compared to the quieter environment, it did reduce psychological well-being as evidenced by self-reports of mood, facial expressions of emotion, and physiological indicators of stress in the form of heartrate and skin conductivity. Our research highlights the importance of using a multimodal approach to assess the impact of workplace stressors such as noise. Such an approach will allow HR practitioners to make data-driven recommendations about the design and modification of workspaces to minimize negative effects and support employee well-being.

Evaluating the Connection between Thermal Comfort and Productivity in Buildings: A Systematic Literature Review

The thermal environment is one of the main factors that influence thermal comfort and, consequently, the productivity of occupants inside buildings. Throughout the years, research has described the connection between thermal comfort and productivity. Mathematical models have been established in the attempt to predict changes in productivity according to thermal variations in the environment. Some of these models have failed for a number of reasons, including the understanding of the effect that several environment variables have had on performance. From this context, a systematic literature review was carried out with the aim of verifying the connection between thermal comfort and productivity and the combinations of different thermal and personal factors that can have an effect on productivity. A hundred and twenty-eight articles were found which show a connection between productivity and some thermal comfort variables. By means of specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, 60 articles were selected for a final analysis. The main conclusions found in this study were: (i) the vast majority of research uses subjective measures and/or a combination of methods to evaluate productivity; (ii) performance/productivity can be attained within an ampler temperature range; (iii) few studies present ways of calculating productivity.

The Comfort Map—A Possible Tool for Increasing Personal Comfort in Office Workplaces

Previous studies have shown that indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters may have a considerable effect on office employees’ comfort, health and performance. Therefore, we initiated a research program to help occupants identify IEQ parameters they perceive as risk factors for their health in an office and enhance their comfort levels in an office environment. Since we assumed that office employees might have different indoor environmental quality expectations related to their work area and that these differences could be measured, our objective was to develop an office ‘comfort map’ based on occupants’ individual IEQ preferences. Thus, the goal of the comfort map would be to help tailor office spaces to their occupants’ health and comfort expectations. The comfort survey was developed to assess the comfort-related opinions of the occupants, based on IEQ parameters (visual comfort, acoustic comfort, air quality and thermal comfort) of a chosen open-plan office building. The survey also assessed the degree to which the given IEQ parameter was considered a health risk factor by occupants or caused a negative comfort sensation for them. The survey was filled in by 216 occupants. The answers were then analyzed with the help of a frequency table depicting relative frequency. The measurements of IEQ parameters took place in an open-plan office in the chosen office building (a Hungarian subsidiary’s office building belonging to an international company in Budapest). The occupants had different opinions regarding the perceived effects of the IEQ parameters on their health and comfort. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (64.8%) were dissatisfied with the adjustability of the noises and sounds IEQ parameter at their workstation. Furthermore, half of the respondents (50.1%) were dissatisfied with the adjustability of ventilation. Most of the occupants (45.8%) considered noises and sounds as the IEQ parameter that had a negative effect on their health. There were also IEQ differences between different areas of the office space. Based on these results, a comfort map was developed for the office. The comfort map contains information about the IEQ characteristics of each workstation by depicting the thermal comfort, carbon dioxide, visual comfort and acoustic comfort characteristics of a given workstation on a relative scale. Based on the thermal, air, acoustic, and lighting differences between the workstations, occupants can select their preferred workstations when a desk-sharing system works. Although still in its pilot phase, the comfort map could increase the chances for office employees to find the workstation best suited to their IEQ expectations. This could improve occupants’ overall comfort level, which could in turn enhance occupants’ productivity and mental as well as physical health.

Daily Challenge/Hindrance Demands and Cognitive Wellbeing: A Multilevel Moderated Mediation Model

Based on the challenge-hindrance stressor model, this study explored the mechanism of how challenge/hindrance demands affect cognitive wellbeing on a daily basis. Specifically, we examined the mediating effect of work-family enrichment on the relationship between challenge/hindrance demands and cognitive wellbeing. In addition, we tested the moderating effect of overqualification on the relationship between challenge/hindrance demands and work-family enrichment on a daily basis. Finally, we examined the moderated mediation effect of perceived overqualification in a multilevel model. To capture changes in work-family enrichment and cognitive wellbeing that individuals perceived daily, the experience sampling method was adopted to test our theoretical models. A total of 99 participants from China were involved in this investigation. The results showed that daily challenge demands had a significant positive effect on daily cognitive wellbeing, and daily hindrance demands had a significant negative effect on wellbeing. In addition, daily work-family enrichment mediated the positive relationship between daily challenge demands and daily cognitive wellbeing. Moreover, perceived overqualification moderated the relationship between daily challenge demands and daily cognitive wellbeing in the multilevel model. Finally, a significant moderated mediating effect of this overqualification on the indirect effect of daily work-family enrichment on the relationship between daily challenge demands and daily cognitive wellbeing was observed.

Learning from lockdown - Assessing the positive and negative experiences, and coping strategies of researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the disruption of nonessential research due to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers faced unexpected changes in their work and personal life. We assessed what challenges researchers encountered during lockdown and whether gender, career level, discipline, and job-permanency influenced their experiences (negative and positive), thereby collecting empirical material which could provide valuable information for future mentoring/supporting practices. Data were collected between July-August 2020 via an online-survey, and answers from 210 respondents (78% female, 21% male, 1% non-disclosed gender) working in Animal Behaviour and Welfare (ABW, 57%), other biological sciences (37%) or social sciences (6%) were analysed. Respondents were post-graduate students (35%), research associates (35%), and professors (22%) or classified as 'other' (8%), and overall fixed-term (55%) and permanent (45%) jobholders. We expected that early career researchers, non-permanent jobholders, and female respondents would report more challenges/less positive experiences during lockdown. Due to the widespread impact of the pandemic, we predicted no effect of academic disciplines. We found great inter-individual difference in the experiences reported by the respondents, with some reporting adaptation to a new routine within a week (31% of the respondents) and/or greater efficiency working from home (19%) while others felt less efficient working from home and/or experienced a greater imbalance towards work (30%) and/or increased personal responsibilities (24%). The most commonly reported challenges were the lack of informal contact with colleagues (63%), a loss of focus due to worry or stress (53%) and/or unsuitable working environments (47%). Postgraduate students, research associates, non-permanent jobholders and ABW researchers reported more work-related challenges (p = from 0.03 to <0.0001) and were more likely to worry about the future (p = from 0.0002 to <0.0001) than other career levels, permanent jobholders, and researchers from other disciplines respectively. We found no gender effect (p = from 0.006 [NS due to Benjamini-Liu correction for multiple comparisons, 24 metrics tested] to 1.000), except that female respondents reported more personal changes affecting their ability to work than male respondents (p = 0.037). On a positive note, most respondents (83%) perceived positive changes during lockdown and 60% reported one or more coping strategies during lockdown, with exercising/outdoor activities and interacting with family/friends most commonly reported. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations for overcoming the reported Covid-19-related challenges which could further deliver valuable guidance for supporting/mentoring schemes and activities fostering a more resilient research community.

Theory of heat stress management: Development and application in the operating room

AIM

The Theory of Heat Stress Management addresses the phenomenon of occupational heat stress and applies the theory to surgical staff wearing personal protective equipment while performing surgery. This discussion paper relates development of the prescriptive middle range theory of heat stress management to inform and advance research and provide evidence to support new standards of care in clinical nursing practice.

DESIGN

The prescriptive middle range theory was developed by summarizing essential elements of the theory, describing the linkages among the dimensions of the theory, enumerating nursing interventions and physiological, psychological and cognitive outcomes, stating relevant assumptions, defining and identifying relationships between the concepts of heat stress management in observable and measurable terms.

DATA SOURCES

This discussion paper is based on the first author's experiences with occupational heat stress, observed improvements in surgical personnel's thermal comfort by using a cooling intervention and knowledge gained from an extensive integrated literature review and ongoing clinical research.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

The middle range theory was developed to create awareness of the impact heat stress has on the health and well-being of all healthcare personnel at risk for heat stress due to wearing personal protective equipment. Nurses need to recognize individuals in thermally stressful environments, evaluate and monitor individuals' physiological and psychological responses and promote comfort by providing interventions to alleviate occupational heat stress.

CONCLUSION

The Theory of Heat Stress Management combines dimensions specific to heat stress affecting surgical staff and provides a perspective that facilitates knowledge development, can enhance nursing practice and support exploration of the linkages and prescriptions of the theory through research.

IMPACT

The predictive middle-range Theory of Heat Stress Management will guide nurses to promote the health and well-being of healthcare workers and influence and improve clinical nursing practice, education, and research related to heat stress management.

New neurophysiological human thermal model based on thermoreceptor responses

A new neurophysiological human thermal model based on thermoreceptor responses, the NHTM model, has been developed to predict regulatory responses and physiological variables in asymmetric transient environments. The passive system is based on Wissler's model, which is more complex and refined. Wissler's model segments the human body into 21 cylindrical parts. Each part is divided into 21 layers, 15 for the tissues and 6 for clothes, and each layer is divided into 12 angular sectors. Thus, we have 3780 nodes for the tissues and 1512 for clothes. The passive system simulates heat exchange within the body and between the body and the surroundings. The active system is composed of the thermoregulatory mechanisms, i.e., skin blood flow, shivering thermogenesis, and sweating. The skin blood flow model and the shivering model are based on thermoreceptor responses. The sweating model is that of Fiala et al. and is based on error signals. The NHTM model was compared with Wissler's model, and the results showed that a calculation based on neurophysiology can improve the performance of the thermoregulation model. The NHTM model was more accurate in the prediction of mean skin temperature, with a mean absolute error of 0.27 °C versus 0.80 °C for the original Wissler model. The prediction accuracy of the NHTM model for local skin temperatures and core temperature could be improved via an optimization method to prove the ability of the new thermoregulation model to fit with the physiological characteristics of different populations.

Capturing the psychological well-being of Chinese factory workers

Purpose

Businesses are under pressure to ensure social responsibility in their globalised supply chains. However, conventional factory audits are not providing adequate data about production workers’ well-being. Industry attempts to measure working conditions have shown bias and inconsistency, and there is no consensus on what to measure, or how. Well-being can be intangible and difficult to capture without appropriate theoretical and methodological frameworks. This paper investigates factors influencing the well-being of a Chinese factory’s workers, tests an innovative research method, and proposes interventions to improve well-being in factories.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a longitudinal study using the diaries of production workers at a large assembly manufacturing site in China. Workers left daily digital voice diaries about their day, which were analysed to identify factors related to their well-being at work.

Findings

The picture is more complex than the concerned Western narrative suggests. Workers’ personal and professional concerns extend beyond the criteria currently measured in audits, tending to be more relational and less about their physical state.

Practical implications

The current approach of auditing management practices neglects workers’ well-being. This study offers a more comprehensive view of well-being and tests a new method of investigation.

Originality/value

This is the first study to use diary methods in a Chinese factory. It addresses an issue supported by little empirical evidence. It is the first longitudinal study to hear from factory workers themselves about how they are and what impacts their well-being daily.

The Office Work and Stretch Training (OST) Study: An Individualized and Standardized Approach to Improve the Quality of Life in Office Workers

In the context of workplace health promotion, physical activity programs have been shown to reduce musculoskeletal diseases and stress, and to improve the quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of using the “five-Business” stretch training device for office workers on their quality of life. A total of 313 office workers (173m/137f) participated voluntarily in this intervention–control study with an average age of 43.37 ± 11.24 (SD) years, 175.37 ± 9.35 cm in height and 75.76 ± 15.23 kg in weight, with an average BMI of 24.5 ± 3.81 kg/m². The participants completed the stretch training twice a week for approximately 10 min for a duration of 12 weeks. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention at baseline and after 12 weeks. Significantly improved outcomes in mental sum score (p = 0.008), physical functioning (p < 0.001), bodily pain (p = 0.01), vitality (p = 0.025), role limitations due to physical problems (p = 0.018) and mental health (p = 0.012) were shown after the stretching training. The results suggest that a 12-week stretching program for office desk workers is suitable to improve significantly their health-related quality of life.

Does an open-plan office actually work? A workplace gap analysis: importance and perceived support of key activities

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the performance of open-plan office layouts and to identify occupants’ concerns in existing open-plan office layouts.

Design/methodology/approach

Workplace activity questionnaire (WAQ) was administered in the form of an online survey in March 2019, as part of a design briefing process for the expansion of the office facilities located in Bangalore, India, for a Fortune 100 software technology company. A total of 4,810 questionnaires were distributed and 3,877 responses were received (80.6% response rate). After that, 849 incomplete responses were eliminated from the analysis, resulting in a final sample size of 3,028. The questionnaire included 11 key activities conducted by the office workers and established the gap between the workers’ perceived importance and support from their existing facilities using a five-point Likert scale.

Findings

The findings of this study provide strong evidence that different physical environments influence the satisfaction of occupants. An improvement of the facilities, especially by enabling areas for quiet working, should be prioritized in relation to the other activities surveyed. Also, office workers perceived significantly different support levels for quiet working depending on their department, while there was no significant difference between the workers of different buildings.

Research limitations/implications

Individual demographic information was not collected because of the possibility of personal identification. There was also a lack of objective environmental measures, such as temperature and noise level. Thus, the quality of indoor environments was unknown. In this study, some respondents mentioned dissatisfaction with indoor environmental quality, including noise, temperature and air quality in their comments.

Originality/value

In the programming stage of a workplace design process, the WAQ survey tool has value because it renders important insight into the perception of a live workplace, which can then be used to determine priorities for a design effort. It clearly identifies the areas to focus on, ask questions about and develop improvements. Validating its reliability will enhance its credibility and confidence in its use. In addition, the large sample size provides statistical advantages in the data analysis, providing a higher likelihood to find a true positive of the findings of the study. Also, having a relatively high response rate provides an advantage of mitigating the risk of having non-response bias in the analysis.

Daily music listening to reduce work-related stress: a randomized controlled pilot trial

BACKGROUND

Literature shows that music can reduce stress conditions. This pilot study investigated the effects of music listening on work-related stress and well-being in healthcare professionals.

METHOD

A total of 45 subjects were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: No Music, Individualized Music and Melomics-Health Listening. Music groups experienced a daily 30-min-playlist listening for 3 weeks at home. The Maugeri Stress Index-Revised (MASI-R) and the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) were administered at baseline, after 3 weeks and after 7 weeks (follow-up). Longitudinal data were analyzed by means of a nested ANOVA model, testing the main effects of time and treatment and the interaction between them.

RESULTS

MASI-R scores showed a positive trend in music groups and a worsening in the control group. Only the interaction time/treatment emerged as supporting a trend toward statistical significance (P = 0.07). PGWBI showed a stability in music groups and a clear decline in controls, without significant effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from the study support the need for a larger clinical trial: it is suggested that daily music listening could be implemented to reduce work-related stress and that the effects may be related, not only to individual musical preferences and familiarity, but also to specific music structures and parameters.

An experience sampling approach to the workplace environment survey

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to pilot test the effectiveness of the experience sampling approach for measuring employee satisfaction with the workplace environment. Additionally, the authors also aimed to explore, which aspects of environmental comfort have the strongest impact on momentary well-being and productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 15 knowledge workers in an open-plan office environment were sent a brief survey (measuring environmental comfort, momentary well-being and perceived productivity) each day over an 11-day study period and provided 78 individual survey responses in total.

Findings

All but one of the measures on the survey had low test-retest reliability, indicating that employees’ experiences of environmental comfort varied significantly each time they completed the survey. Additionally, higher environmental comfort was associated with improved well-being and productivity.

Practical implications

The results suggest that an experience sampling approach to the workplace occupant survey is justified to better capture the temporal variability in experiences of environmental comfort. The results also suggest that improving environmental comfort, particularly by reducing the level of distractions, will enable employees to work more productively.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first field study which has attempted to directly address limitations in traditional occupant surveys by using an experience sampling approach rather than a one-time-only questionnaire.

Feel well and do well at work

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate employee well-being in relation to office landscapes in a post-relocation context. The aims are to identify spatial attributes of the office landscape that influence employee well-being and underlying contextual factors that explain employee well-being post-relocation.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method approach was adopted. The data collection involved 16 semi-structured interviews with employees, an interview with the leading architect of the office renovation, study of a dossier on the renovation project and observations.

Findings

Most of the informants experienced the new office landscape positively despite few shortcomings. Spatial attributes were identified that influenced the informants’ well-being positively in terms of affects, satisfaction, social relations and environmental mastery. Conversely, negative influences on well-being were also reported regarding affects, satisfaction and environmental mastery. Conflicting views on some of the spatial attributes and contextual factors related to the planning process and the former office landscape were identified.

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies in investigating the office landscape at the spatial attributes level, despite office type, and their influence on hedonic and eudaimonic components of employee well-being. The research approach adopted proved its usefulness for in-depth studies of the interrelations between office landscapes and employee well-being.

Taking Dogs Into the Office: A Novel Strategy for Promoting Work Engagement, Commitment and Quality of Life

Despite growing interest in “take your dog to work” days and the wellbeing benefits associated with interactions with a friendly dog (e.g., animal-assisted activities), there has been little quantification of the benefits of this. We analyzed responses to work-related (work engagement, turnover intention, work-based friendship acuity, social media use, and work-related quality of life) and dog-related (pet dog attachment and dog general health) scales from 749 employees. The predominantly female sample was comprised of 243 employees who brought their dog to work (167 = “often” brought dog to work; 76 = “sometimes” brought dog to work), the remaining 506 did not bring their dog to work. Employees who “often” took their dog to work reported higher than average work engagement on all factors (vigor, dedication, absorption, total), with significant differences reported in comparison to those who “sometimes” (vigor and total) and “never” (vigor, dedication, absorption, total) took their dog to work. Turnover intention was also significantly lower and work-based friendship acuity higher in the group of employees who “often,” compared to “never,” took their dog to work. Benefits of bringing your dog to work were also observed in terms of work-related quality of life, with higher scores on general wellbeing, home-work interface, job career-satisfaction, control at work, working conditions, and overall work quality of life in those who “often” compared to “never” take their dog to work. Employees who “never” took their dog to work reported lower use of social media during break times. We also identified factors which may be important to consider in developing dogs-in-the-workplace policies; dog-demographics including weight (i.e., size), breed-type, and training may be important to consider in defining the ideal office dog and deserve further research. Given the need to improve employee wellbeing and satisfaction to promote effective business performance and economic gain, these results have important implications for office based businesses considering allowing dogs in the workplace.

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Occupational heat strain (ie, the effect of environmental heat stress on the body) directly threatens workers' ability to live healthy and productive lives. We estimated the effects of occupational heat strain on workers' health and productivity outcomes.

METHODS

Following PRISMA guidelines for this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed and Embase from database inception to Feb 5, 2018, for relevant studies in any labour environment and at any level of occupational heat strain. No restrictions on language, workers' health status, or study design were applied. Occupational heat strain was defined using international health and safety guidelines and standards. We excluded studies that calculated effects using simulations or statistical models instead of actual measurements, and any grey literature. Risk of bias, data extraction, and sensitivity analysis were performed by two independent investigators. Six random-effects meta-analyses estimated the prevalence of occupational heat strain, kidney disease or acute kidney injury, productivity loss, core temperature, change in urine specific gravity, and odds of occupational heat strain occurring during or at the end of a work shift in heat stress conditions. The review protocol is available on PROSPERO, registration number CRD42017083271.

FINDINGS

Of 958 reports identified through our systematic search, 111 studies done in 30 countries, including 447 million workers from more than 40 different occupations, were eligible for analysis. Our meta-analyses showed that individuals working a single work shift under heat stress (defined as wet-bulb globe temperature beyond 22·0 or 24·8°C depending on work intensity) were 4·01 times (95% CI 2·45-6·58; nine studies with 11 582 workers) more likely to experience occupational heat strain than an individual working in thermoneutral conditions, while their core temperature was increased by 0·7°C (0·4-1·0; 17 studies with 1090 workers) and their urine specific gravity was increased by 14·5% (0·0031, 0·0014-0·0048; 14 studies with 691 workers). During or at the end of a work shift under heat stress, 35% (31-39; 33 studies with 13 088 workers) of workers experienced occupational heat strain, while 30% (21-39; 11 studies with 8076 workers) reported productivity losses. Finally, 15% (11-19; ten studies with 21 721 workers) of individuals who typically or frequently worked under heat stress (minimum of 6 h per day, 5 days per week, for 2 months of the year) experienced kidney disease or acute kidney injury. Overall, this analysis include a variety of populations, exposures, and occupations to comply with a wider adoption of evidence synthesis, but resulted in large heterogeneity in our meta-analyses. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation analysis revealed moderate confidence for most results and very low confidence in two cases (average core temperature and change in urine specific gravity) due to studies being funded by industry.

INTERPRETATION

Occupational heat strain has important health and productivity outcomes and should be recognised as a public health problem. Concerted international action is needed to mitigate its effects in light of climate change and the anticipated rise in heat stress.

FUNDING

EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Work-related musculoskeletal problems and associated factors among office workers

Purpose. The aim of this study was to investigate musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and associated factors among Iranian office personnel. Materials and methods. In this cross-sectional study, 359 Iranian office workers were included. Data were gathered using a demographic questionnaire, the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, the numeric rating scale, rapid office strain assessment (ROSA) and the NASA task load index (NASA-TLX). Results. Our findings showed that the highest prevalence rate of MSDs within the last 12 months and the highest pain/discomfort severity were related to the participants' necks. The mean performance, mental demand and effort subscale scores of the NASA-TLX were higher than other subscales (physical demand, temporal demand and frustration level). ROSA scores showed that 53.8% of the participants were in action level 1 (low MSD risk) and the rest (46.2%) were in action level 2 (high MSD risk). The pain/discomfort severity in the shoulders, elbows, wrists/hands, thighs and ankles/feet was correlated to the final ROSA score. Age, gender, body mass index and some NASA-TLX subscales (effort, mental demand and performance) were associated with symptoms of MSDs in different body regions. Conclusions. Improving workplace conditions (both mentally and physically) is suggested for reducing and eliminating musculoskeletal problems among office workers.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy study of the neural correlates between auditory environments and intellectual work performance

INTRODUCTION

Many people spend a considerable amount of time performing intellectual activities within auditory environments that affect work efficiency. To investigate auditory environments that improve working efficiency, we investigated the relationship between brain activity and performance of the number memory task in environments with and without white noise using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

METHODS

Twenty-nine healthy subjects (aged 21.9 ± 1.4 years) performed the number memory task in both the white noise and silent environments. Cerebral blood flow changes during the task were measured using an ETG-7100 fNIRS system (Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The psychological states of the subjects were also estimated by subjective ratings of the pleasantness of the auditory environment. Then, they were divided into three groups based on their task scores. The differences in the cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes, functional connection strength, and the subjects' feelings of pleasantness to the noise between the subject groups were analyzed and discussed.

RESULTS

The first group felt that the white noise was pleasant, which strengthened the bilateral functional connections between the brain regions related to the memory task. Therefore, the subjects' task performance improved in the white noise environment. Although the second group felt that the white noise was uncomfortable, the frontal regions related to attention control were more activated in the white noise environment to sustain the task performance in the noisy environment. The third group felt that the white noise was unpleasant, and their CBF decreased in that environment, which was associated with deteriorated task performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Task performance was closely related to the subjects' feelings of pleasantness to the noise. The results of the analysis of the CBF changes and functional connectivity suggested that the effects of the white noise on brain activity differed among the three groups.

Combined effects of environmental factors on human perception and objective performance: A review of experimental laboratory works

This study reports the outcomes of a literature survey aimed at exploring how different environmental factors-that is acoustic, thermal, visual, and air quality stimuli-interact in affecting building occupants' perception and performance. Recent laboratory studies have been collected, and their methodological approaches reviewed in terms of experimental design, adopted exposures conditions, perception and performance assessment methods. Results have been summarized and compared to identify interaction patterns between environmental factors and possible practical implications for improving the design of both experimental studies and the built environment. The analysis allows highlighting limitations, potential improvements and future opportunities in this field of research, thus providing a reference for further investigations aimed at a deeper understanding, modeling, and prediction of the impacts caused by the main indoor variables on human comfort and performance.

“Homeliness, hope and humour” (H3) – ingredients for creating a therapeutic milieu in prisons

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build a new theoretical framework for inscribing the constituents of therapeutic community (TC) practice in prisons and other secure psychiatric settings looking at three core element: homeliness, hope and humour.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on theory building, review of related literature, including research and policy, and synthesis from related funded research projects (Sociology of Health and Illness, Arts Humanities Research Council).

Findings

Home-as-method, and the concept of transitional home, highlights how a well-designed therapeutic environment looks and feels and can act as a base for effective rehabilitation. The TC aspires to offer a corrective new synthesis of home superseding the resident’s prior experience. A through-going definition of hope-as-method is outlined. It is argued that hope is co-constructed on the TC, and that there is a necessary challenge in gauging fluctuations in hope across time. Humour is a much overlooked idea but arguably an integral ingredient of healthy transactions between prisoners and staff. The particularities of humour present a challenge and an opportunity for harnessing the conditions when humour can flourish and conversely, the chain of events when mal humour damages community atmosphere.

Practical implications

H3 provides a new framework for reflecting on current TC practice, and also a model for developing novel ways of seeing, including the development of research and policy guidance. H3 also provides a philosophical base for developing a curriculum for education and training.

Originality/value

The 3Hs offers a rubric for positively narrating the aspirations of a prison milieu. The idea is purposively simple, and so far the authors have found that staff, prisoners and service directors are receptive to the concept, and there are plans for the 3Hs are set to be a narrative descriptor for developing practice in prisons.

An Evaluation of the Work and Life Conditions and the Quality of Life in 60 to 65 Year-Old White-Collar Employees, Manual Workers, and Unemployed Controls

OBJECTIVES

Assessment of the work and life conditions of 60 to 65-year-old seniors with regard to type of work and quality of life (QoL).

METHODS

The European Foundation for Improvement of Living and Working Conditions Questionnaire and the EuroQol 5D were used to evaluate work and life conditions and QoL in the three age- and sex-matched 60 to 65-year-old groups (white-collar, manual workers, and unemployed subjects, 100 each group, 50% of women).

RESULTS

Manual workers and unemployed subjects had lower QoL score (0 to 100 point scale) than white-collar workers (accordingly 72.2; 71.2; 76.2; P < 0.05). In working subjects (n = 200), QoL was inversely associated with reported health problems (P < 0.01) and directly related to quality of work (P < 0.001). In the group of manual workers (n = 100), QoL indices were influenced by health factors and quality of work, while in the intellectual group (n = 100) mainly by health factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of work and health assessment are the main domains that influence older workers' QoL and may contribute to the shortening of the work period and accelerated transfer to retirement. Quality of work assessment seems especially important in older manual workers.

Physiological activity in calm thermal indoor environments

Indoor environmental comfort has previously been quantified based on the subjective assessment of thermal physical parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and airflow velocity. However, the relationship of these parameters to brain activity remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of airflow on brain activity using electroencephalograms (EEG) of participants in a living environment under different airflow conditions. Before the recording, the room was set to a standardised air temperature and humidity. During the recording, each participant was required to perform a simple time-perception task that involved pressing buttons after estimating a 10-second interval. Cooling and heating experiments were conducted in summer and winter, respectively. A frequency analysis of the EEGs revealed that gamma and beta activities showed lower amplitudes under conditions without airflow than with airflow, regardless of the season (i.e., cooling or heating). Our results reveal new neurophysiological markers of the response to airflow sensation. Further, based on the literature linking gamma and beta waves to less anxious states in calm environments, we suggest that airflow may alter the feelings of the participants.

Gender differences in public office workers' satisfaction, subjective symptoms and musculoskeletal complaints in workplace and office environments

This study investigates differences between male and female public office workers' satisfaction levels, sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) complaints in workplace and office environments. Questionnaire surveys were performed in 30 offices from 15 public institutions. Male and female workers of the same age were coupled and selected from each office, gathering a total of 120 male and 120 female subjects. The results show that differences exist between genders in noise and lighting satisfaction levels, SBS-related symptoms (eye, nose, skin) and MSD complaints of hand/wrist/finger, while there is no difference in overall satisfaction level of office environments. The study also suggests that office design for public office workers should take into account gender differences in preventing MSDs and also SBS. The findings of this study are expected to serve as basic data for designing effective public office environments.

Distraction distance and perceived disturbance by noise-An analysis of 21 open-plan offices

Previous research suggests that, in open-plan offices, noise complaints may be related to the high intelligibility of speech. Distraction distance, which is based on the Speech Transmission Index, can be used to objectively describe the acoustic quality of open-plan offices. However, the relation between distraction distance and perceived noise disturbance has not been established in field studies. The aim of this study was to synthesize evidence from separate studies covering 21 workplaces (N = 883 respondents) and a wide range of room acoustic conditions. The data included both questionnaire surveys and room acoustic measurements [ISO 3382-3 (2012) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland]. Distraction distance, the spatial decay rate of speech, speech level at 4 m from the speaker, and the average background noise level were examined as possible predictors of perceived noise disturbance. The data were analyzed with individual participant data meta-analysis. The results show that distracting background speech largely explains the overall perception of noise. An increase in distraction distance predicts an increase in disturbance by noise, whereas the other quantities may not alone be associated with noise disturbance. The results support the role of room acoustic design, i.e., the simultaneous use of absorption, blocking, and masking in the attainment of good working conditions in open-plan offices.

The impact of the ambient environment and building configuration on occupant productivity in open-plan commercial offices

Purpose

This paper sets out to understand the impact of the ambient environment on perceived comfort, health, wellbeing and by extension productivity in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The research combined an occupant survey considering satisfaction with the ambient environment, health and wellbeing and workplace behaviour with the monitoring of ambient environmental conditions.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that the ambient environment can have a significant impact on occupant comfort, health and wellbeing, which in turn has implications for built asset performance. Within the ambient environmental factors considered, a hierarchy may exist with noise being of particular importance. Occupant behaviour within the workplace was also found to be influential.

Research limitations/implications

The research was limited to a single commercial office building, and a wider range of case studies would therefore be of benefit. The research was also limited to the summer months.

Practical implications

The findings show that an active approach to asset management is required, by continuously monitoring internal environment and engaging with occupants. This must carefully consider how ambient environmental factors and workplace behaviour impact upon occupants’ comfort, health and wellbeing to ensure the performance of the built asset is maximised.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates that both occupiers’ workplace behaviour and ambient environmental conditions can have an impact on occupant comfort, health, wellbeing and productivity. The paper strengthens the case for the active management of the workplace environment through environmental monitoring and behaviour change campaigns supported by corresponding changes to workplace culture.