Power seems ready to shift in workplaces again, back from employees to employers. As layoffs gather steam, it is likely that only the most determined employees are poised to try to further…
Elbertse, and Steenbekkers evaluated the repercussions of various quantities of in-workplace greenery. They report that their “study aims to explore the effect of different volumes of indoor greenery on perceived stress, stress,…
Yekanialibeiglou and colleagues link working in ABW (which they call activity-based offices or ABOs) and enhanced employee creativity. The researchers learned via “case studies of three ABOs. . . . that privacy,…
Sansom reports on research (“Reap What You Sow: Valuing Workplaces That Grow Good Ideas”) conducted to quantify the value of environmentally responsible design. He shares that the completed study “demonstrates that an…
Sun and colleagues link experiencing sunlight and taking more risks. More specifically they report that “We examine sunshine-induced mood and its impacts on investors’ bidding decisions in the primary market where seasoned…
In an open access article, Liedgren, Desmet, and Gaggiolo lay out the case for considering higher levels in Maslow’s system when developing design options. They “argue that the sublime is struggling to…
Zhang and colleagues link specific work activities and energy levels; their findings may be useful to designers developing at-work break/refreshment zones, for example. The Zhang-lead team found “a time allocation effect, such that…
As some organizations move to cut back on office space and with fewer in-workplace employee hours, there’s lots of discussion about moving from assigned to unassigned seating plans. From a psychological perspective,…
Sharfenberger and associates evaluated the psychological implications of nearby material objects. They determined that “being physically close to objects helps consumers to feel psychologically close to the more abstract meaning of these…
Neale, Boukhechba, and Cinderby’s research confirms that people worldwide benefit from spending time in natural urban spaces. As the trio report, “Our research sought to understand the psychophysiological responses of participants in…
Prade and Saraglou’s work makes it clearer how awe influences how we think and behave. Awe can be induced by design in a variety of ways, for example, via exquisite workmanship. The…
Latini, Di Giuseppe, and D’Orazio have determined that research outcomes obtained in virtual reality settings are useful in real world applications. They conducted research in real and immersive office spaces finding “No…