Assessing the influence of the indoor environment on self-reported productivity in offices

The well-being of people and hence their productivity could be affected by many factors. In this research, a Methodology to Assess the Influence of Environment and Job factors on Self-assessed Productivity (MaiEJSP) was developed to establish how factors such as well-being, indoor environment, management style, job satisfaction and personal factors interrelate to affect productivity. A questionnaire was designed and used to gather information from about 170 occupants in six buildings on their office environment and productivity. The individual responses illustrated that the majority of respondents considered the office environment had a direct influence on their well-being and productivity. The results indicate that self-reported productivity would be improved by about 10% by improving environmental conditions. The results also show that self-reported productivity was negatively related to an overall unsatisfactory environment and job dissatisfaction. Additionally, job dissatisfaction was positively related to an overall unsatisfactory environment. An Environment and Job Factors Index (EJFI) greater than three (suffered from an overall dissatisfactory environment, crowded work space and job dissatisfaction) had an adverse effect on self-assessed productivity. The results of analysis of the data using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method indicated that the primary factors influencing productivity would be varied between the buildings. Based on analysis of six sampled buildings, the results show that ability to perform and well-being were the two most important factors. However, the indoor environmental factor was also important, even if it was not the most important one. The results also illustrated that indoor air quality and pollution were the most important environmental factors related to symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in offices. Compared with other personal and occupational factors, job stress was the most significant factor correlated with SBS symptoms.