1. Workspace environments

2. Comfort model of the workspace
Psychological Comfort
Functional comfort
Physical Comfort
Discomfort
Habitability Threshold

3. Typology of workspace Ambient environmental conditions Noise Lighting
Air quality
Thermal comfort
Furniture layout and ergonomics
Workstations
Offices
Shared amenities
Process issues
User participation in design
Meeting organizational objectives

4. Typology of workspace Satisfaction Ambient conditions, layout
Do people like the conditions and layout?
Process issues
Do people report satisfaction with the work environment?

5. Typology of workspace Territoriality and Belonging Ambient conditions
- how do conditions such as daylight, ventilation and control over interior conditions affect the way people feel about their work and workspace?
Furniture layout and ergonomics
- how do moves, changes of workspace affect peoples’ feelings about territory, privacy and social status
Process issues
- How does involving workers in decisions about workspace affect feelings of ownership and belonging and increase loyalty

6. Typology of workspace Productivity Ambient conditions
does changing environmental conditions help people work better? faster?
Furniture layout and ergonomics
does changing the furniture, layouts location of equipment, washrooms, help people work better? faster?
Process issues
- do environments designed to meet organizational goals and objectives have impact on organization the bottom line?

7. Getting to Work Walk, Ride, Transit, Drive?
Emphasis has been on encouraging people to choose less energy-intensive means of commuting
Examples:
Bike Lanes; Transit Passes
Others??

8. Getting to work Ways to get people out of their cars
Created demographic profiles of car and urban transit riders
Used profiles to try to change peoples’ behaviour:
Cars are expensive to operate
Cars create problems
Devised models of commuter preference
Provided positive information about urban transit
Evaluated existing transit systems
Offered reduced fares
Promoted car sharing

9. Commuting is stressful. But……. Majority still drive.
Getting to work
Commuting is stressful.
But…….
Majority still drive.

10. Sound - noise - music an unwanted sound - Noise
A desirable and beautiful sound
- Euphony
Noise to one is euphony to another,
Noise levels in offices range about decibels
(whisper = 20db; alarm clock = 80; average fridge = 40; rocket blasting off = 200 db)

11. Sound – noise - music Occupational settings Can cause hearing loss
Noise may be below acceptable thresholds (85db), but it can be irritating
Psychological effects from noise can make conversation difficult
Implications for places (offices, restaurants)?

12. Sound - noise - music
Noise harms performance when there is an interaction of:
Employee
Task
Noise
Noise increases stress levels resulting in job dissatisfaction
Increase noise levels = increase errors; lower-quality service; interpersonal relations.
For certain tasks noise may arouse a person enough to improve performance.

13. Sound - noise - music Music can reduce stress
Natural sound reduces stress; reduces perceived pain; increases relaxation.
Most employees dislike noise; but, like music on the job.
Noise hinders; music helps, employee performance

14. Sound – noise - music Sounds tend to be interfering, coming and going
Sound entering a place is annoying
When words escape over partitions too easily, privacy is compromised,

15. Indoor climate Is best measured by effective temperature
Includes humidity and air movements as well as the temperature
Extreme effective temperatures do not affect work behaviour unless core body temperature is altered.
Effects of temperature are usually muffled by access to heavier or lighter clothing

16. Indoor climate There a variety of temperature effects:
increase/decrease in physical performance;
increase/decrease in cognitive tasks
Are a result of
how temperature has been measured;
clothing factors (material, layers)
Acclimatization
Knowledge of coping strategies
Motivation
Type of work

17. Indoor climate
Comfort depends on perception and actual effective temperature
Optimal performance may be found outside the comfort range
Temperature stress
occurs when people are exposed to temperatures far outside the comfort zone
People will adapt to extreme temperatures after longer-term exposure to them

18. Workspace air Factors that affect performance include: Carbon monoxide
Air ions
Odours
Low concentrations of negative ions affect cognitive processes
High concentrations facilitate cognitive processes.

19. Workspace air
When carrying impurities, pollutants, health is severely affected
Lack of control over noticeably bad air fosters negative feelings among employees, promotes work sabotage and leads to high turnover.

20. Light, colour , windows Light affects work behaviour when it is:
Insufficient (low productivity, accidents)
Improperly placed (glare, eyestrain)
Office lighting tends to be excessive – too much light, or, improper type of light which distorts colour
Access to natural light and views is psychologically and physiologically important (critical?)

21. Space, density, arrangements
Naturally occurring spatial arrangements have few effects on performance
Built arrangements effects performance
Employees are sensitive to space
Usually unhappy with existing arrangements
Organizations restrict degree to which employees may arrange or personalize their workspace
Most open-plan arrangements
Reduces desirable communication
Increases undesirable communication
Office arrangements lead visitors to form impressions of the office-holder’s character and status

22. Individual – group workspace
The drive to personalize space is irresistible
Provide people with the tools they need to do so
Create private spaces for workers
doors, frosted glass
Grow the workspace
incorporate views of nature
Use foliage, potted plants, planters
Create territories for groups
Use of walls, ceiling height, partitions, flooring, wall changes
Create collaborative spaces and ‘informal’ interaction spaces

23. What makes a great workplace
The ability for individuals to perform distraction free work
Spaces that support collaboration and impromptu interaction
Spaces that support undistracted teamwork and meetings
Accommodation of personal work styles and workstation personalization
Individual control for thermal comfort
Access to daylight
Control of glare factors
Workspace allocation by function
Clear wayfinding
Adjacencies to support workflow
Accommodations for changing demands of technology
Ergonomic accommodations
Professionally maintained plant program
Expression of organizational culture

24. Exercise E Assessing workspaces
Using a workplace with which you are familiar (or use a university building) and Table 1 Proposed Typology of Research on the Environmental Psychology of Workspace
Describe the environmental conditions that are displayed/contained in the workspace. Describe where each is located and how each is used.
Respond to the nine questions presented in Table 1

25. Satisfaction
Territoriality and Belonging
Productivity
Ambient Environmental Conditions
Do you like:
- Noise/Sound/Music
- Lighting
- Air Quality
- Thermal comfort
How do you feel about conditions such as:
Daylight
Ventilation
Control over conditions
How does changing environmental conditions help you work better? faster?
Furniture and Office Layout
- Workstations/area
- Offices
- Shared amenities
How do/would changes in workspace affect your feelings about:
- Territory
- Privacy
- Social status
How does changing the furniture and layout help you work better? faster?
Process issues, User participation
What is your satisfaction with the work environment?
What changes would you make?
How does being involved affect feelings of
- Ownership
- Belonging
- Employee loyalty
How do environments designed to meet organizational goals impact the bottom line?

26. Apply the ideas
Review the ideas contained in the section on workspaces and apply them to the design of your place.