Workstation design for organizational productivity - National ...

Number of Occupants Rating #1were most frequently ranked number one in importance; privacy was thesecond, and noise levels, the third.Desirable Office Conditions180160140120100806040200Air QualityandVentilationPrivacyNoise LevelsWindowAccessTemperatureLightingSize ofWorkstationThese office conditions were ranked ‘Most important’ of sevenphysical conditions. From: Veitch et al. (2003).The ways that office design affects acoustics and noise, indoor air quality andthermal comfort, and lighting conditions have been discussed; however, thereare some other major needs that are important to employees. Privacy andwindow access, which were second and fourth most frequently ranked numberone, are greatly affected by the design of the workstation. Task needs,personalization, and adjustability are also important considerations whenchoosing the furnishings, equipment, space, and layout. When these needsare not addressed, employers risk unsupportive workstations and dissatisfiedemployees.W.1Meeting Employee Needs with Good Design54Designing good workstations requires an awareness of employee behavioursand responses to workplaces and physical conditions. Most research todate has focused on employees in traditional open-plan office designs, frombullpens with no dividingpartitions to cubicleenclosures. Recommendationsbased on these researchfindings will help designerscreate workstations that allowemployees to complete theirwork in comfort and enableorganizations to meet theirBullpen-style open-plan officegoals.