Effects of changes in workspace partitions and spatial density of employee reactions: a quasi-experiment

Article Abstract:

This study examined the effects of moving from an open-plan office to one of two alternative office designs: (a) an office with partitions surrounding employee work areas or (b) a low-density open-plan office with more usable space per employee. A total of 65 claims adjusters from three offices of a large insurance organization provided data at two points in time: 3 months before the office changes and 3 months after the changes. Hierarchical regression analyses and paired t tests showed that, relative to employees in a control office, employees who moved from an open-plan office to either a low-density open-plan office or to a partitioned office experienced significant improvements (p < .01) in task privacy, communication privacy, crowding, and office satisfaction. Moreover, two individual difference measures influenced significantly (p < .05) the effects of the office changes on the crowding responses. Employees who had low levels of stimulus screening or high privacy needs reported the largest decreases in perceived crowding after the office changes. The implication of these finding for future research on office design are discussed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Work environment, Office layout

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Listen while you work? Quasi-experimental relations between personal-stereo headset use and employee work responses

Article Abstract:

Using a quasi-experimental design, this study examined relations between stereo headset use and employee work responses. Employees (N=256) worked on 32 jobs in an office of a retail organization. Employees indicated whether they were interested in using stereos at work. From those expressing an interest, a random sample (n=75) was assigned to a stereo condition. These employees used headsets at work for 4 weeks. The remaining employees (n=181) were assigned to a control condition and were not allowed to use stereos. Results indicated that employees in the stereo condition exhibited significant improvements in performance, turnover intentions, organization satisfaction, mood states, and other responses. The mood state of relaxation best explained the relation between stereo use and performance. Finally, employees in relatively simple jobs responded most positively to the stereos. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Music, Portable stereos, Environmental music, Background music

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