The Relationship between Office Design and Productivity For many years, people who specialise in office design have postulated that there is a direct relationship between the way an office is set out and designed, and the productivity of the people who work within that office. To test the theory, a recent survey was carried on out 31 branches of 13 banks in Pakistan. The aim was to assess the theory that “better physical environment or office will boost the employees and ultimately improve their productivity”. Participants were asked to complete a detailed study to assess the differences in their office layout, lighting and other elements, and the work they completed. It was noted that Pakistan had been chosen specifically for the study because the subject matter was so unheard of in that region that little would have been done by office design consultants to increase productivity through design. As a result, the study would have an effective base line. Prior to the research in Pakistan, there have been various studies (by psychologists, sociologists and Human Resources professionals) which already confirm the correlation between employee productivity and working environment. As such, the researchers took a section of 105 workers and aimed to find out what they valued in their workplace, to assess if the layout of their environment had an effect on productivity and then to assess if making changes to the working environment did make any difference.
The Findings Although there were large differences in the way that the subjects answered the questions, and it was noted that men and women tended to have differing viewpoints, there were some general points raised. Lighting was voted overall as the most important factor in office design and was highlighted as giving a “sense of energy, affecting the mood of the employees”. There was little difference between natural and artificial light given. In addition, the further important factors were noise, furniture and temperature. Women, it was noted, were happier to work in noise filled environments whilst men showed a negative response to erratic temperatures more than their female counterparts.
Conclusion Because of the way the various tests were carried out, and the responses given, the assessors Ms Amina Hameed and Ms Shehla Amjad were able to conclude that there is a direct relationship between office design and productivity.
They used their results to not only demonstrate the factors which the employees themselves admitted to having an effect on their working satisfaction and productivity but also added in further elements such as new seating which was less comfortable to assess the difference it would have. They found a dip in productivity as a result. As a final conclusion, they stated that office and environmental lighting was not only a direct factor in productivity but also in the wellness of employees.
Author Bio:- Arnold Kotak has a keen interest in offices and work spaces. His articles on the subject inform readers about a variety issues related to office furniture design consultants in Worcester can help with.
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