Physical and questionnaire data were collected from 95 workstations at an open-plan office building in Michigan, US. The physical measurements encompassed thermal, lighting, and acoustic variables, furniture dimensions, and an assessment of potential exterior view. Occupants answered a detailed questionnaire concerning their environmental and job satisfaction, and aspects of well-being. These data were used to test, via mediated regression, a model linking the physical environment, through environmental satisfaction, to job satisfaction and other related measures. In particular, a significant link was demonstrated between overall environmental satisfaction and job satisfaction, mediated by satisfaction with management and with compensation. Analysis of physical data was limited to the lighting domain. Results confirmed the important role of window access at the desk in satisfaction with lighting, particularly through its effect on satisfaction with outside view. Des données physiques et des données obtenues par questionnaire ont été recueillies auprès de 95 postes de travail dans un immeuble de bureaux décloisonnés du Michigan, aux Etats-Unis. Les mesures physiques comprenaient des variables thermiques, acoustiques et relatives à l'éclairage, les dimensions des meubles, ainsi qu'une évaluation de la vue extérieure potentielle. Les occupants ont répondu à un questionnaire détaillé portant sur la satisfaction à l'égard de leur environnement et de leur travail, et sur des aspects relatifs au bien-être. Ces données ont été utilisées pour tester, au moyen d'une régression médiatisée, un modèle liant l'environnement physique, par la satisfaction à l'égard de l'environnement, à la satisfaction dans le travail et aux autres mesures liées. Il a en particulier été démontré qu'il existe un lien important entre la satisfaction globale à l'égard de l'environnement et la satisfaction dans le travail, médiatisé par la satisfaction vis-à-vis de la direction et de la rémunération. L'analyse des données physiques a été limitée au domaine de l'éclairage. Les résultats ont confirmé que le fait de pouvoir accéder à une fenêtre au bureau joue un rôle important dans la satisfaction à l'égard de l'éclairage, en particulier par son effet sur la satisfaction vis-à-vis de la vue extérieure. Mots clés: satisfaction à l'égard de l'environnement, satisfaction dans le travail, éclairage, perception par les occupants, bureaux, productivité organisationnelle, vue, bien-être

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether perception of control over aspects of the physical environment reduces the previously documented negative effects of distraction in office workplaces on perceived job performance. This study analysed 384 questionnaires collected from employees in the corporate offices of three manufacturing companies in Michigan, USA. The role of a sense of personal control over physical environment features as a mediating influence between work attitudes and work outcomes was explored using structural equations modelling. The results showed that workers' sense of control over physical aspects of their work environment mediated the relationship between perceived distractions and perceived job performance. These results suggest that increasing perceptions of personal control over features of the physical work environment may serve to link work attitudes and work outcomes. Open-plan offices are common throughout the world, making this study relevant for researchers and practitioners alike. These results suggest that if employees can adjust aspects of their office work environment, this may increase their sense of personal control, reducing the effects of distractions, a frequent complaint in open offices.

Results from two field studies are reported: a quasi-experiment of changing from 60—64 inch to 36—42 inch partition heights at a multi-national corporation, and a comparison of two office areas at a global manufacturer. In the first study, both control and experimental participants endured moving, but only the experimental group experienced any change in partition height. A quantitative, subjective survey provided work environment ratings before, immediately after, and six months after the change. The results show that in general, this was a negative change for users, although some non-significant trends suggested that-defined at the group level-one or two outcomes may have been positive. Using a much more extensive instrument, the second study found several differences in occupant ratings of workplace design as a function of differences in the physical environments. A framework is outlined for interpreting these results in terms of individual (i.e., privacy) and group (i.e., communication) needs.

Architects and designers, along with their corporate clients, generally embrace the importance of environmental stewardship, saving the earth’s ecosystem, and sustainable design. However, research is needed to link sustainable design with relevant human behavior (e.g., in corporate offices and educational settings) to ensure its enduring legacy. Regarding changing people’s behavior, the majority of human experience results from unconscious processes, i.e., brain–environment interactions not available to awareness; thus, in general, people cannot articulate the nature of these associations. Using theoretical roots stemming from William James and running through ecological psychology (e.g., James J. Gibson to Roger Barker), Harry Heft has argued that the influence of environmental design precedes conscious awareness and information processing. Assuming Heft’s conjecture, this implies that—if informed by biologically influential signals (e.g., biophilic design)—the design of the ambient physical environment may positively ‘nudge’ human behavior in ways useful to sustainability and sensitivity to the environment—although relevant critical perspectives suggest that dynamic conditions and contextual complexity may modify the potential of nudge theory applications. Still, could it be that sustainable design can improve human health and well-being? Research suggests that environmentally responsible and biophilic design may accomplish at least a few elements of this goal and perhaps also enhance some aspects of cognitive performance. Could this approach support environmental sustainability by linking sustainable design to its potential economic benefits via worker productivity or student success? If so, then the strategy of improving positive well-being through design aligns well with the goal of maintaining the long-term viability of the earth’s ecosystem.