Att förstå sambandet mellan kontorsmiljöer och anställdas produktivitet

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors can influence employee productivity and satisfaction. The aim of this thesis is to examine how IEQ factors are perceived to influence employee productivity and satisfaction in the office environment and how this differ in different office environments within the same company. The thesis examined this using a cross-sectional survey design, where office employees in the case company were asked to answer the survey. The survey included 16 IEQ factors identified from the literature. The case company consists of three office environments with different office characteristics. The thesis found that the IEQ factors which are perceived to influence satisfaction and productivity the most are noise level, sound privacy, temperature, air quality, visual privacy, and ventilation, while respondents perceived desk cleanliness, building cleanliness, colours and textures in the room, amount of space and building maintenance to influence their productivity the least. The IEQ factors that influenced productivity and satisfaction the most, usually consisted of intangible IEQ factors, while the IEQ factors that influenced productivity and satisfaction the least often consisted of more tangible IEQ factors. The results showed differences between the three office environments. Employees in office 2 with mostly private offices reported higher satisfaction, perceived productivity and concentrations levels, especially regarding sound privacy and noise level. In contrast, office 3 with private, shared and office 1 with also open-plan office cubicles reported being more dissatisfied and productivity being more negatively impacted. Other differences between office, were found between offices located inside the industrial area and office 3 located a few km away, especially for air quality and ventilation. The findings showed that office 1 and 2 located inside the industrial area were more dissatisfied and perceived that productivity was more negatively impacted. These findings suggest that difference in office characteristics can influence how IEQ factors are perceived and how strongly they influence productivity. These findings can be used to reduce the negative influence IEQ factors have on employee productivity and satisfaction. Knowing about these factors may support the development of the office environment and make the office more accommodating for employees. The survey was specifically made to answer the research questions using the case company. No statistical testing was conducted to assess the statistical significance of the observed differences. Therefore, the findings should be interpreted as indicative.