Research Design Connection An At-University Activity-Based Workplace

Berthelsen and colleagues investigated the implications of transitioning university staff from cell offices to an activity-based workplace. The researchers studied, via a survey, “how staff at a large Swedish university experienced the…work environment before and after moving to activity-based offices…In the new premises, a vast majority (86%) always occupied the same place when possible, and also worked more often from home. The social community at work had declined and social support from colleagues and supervisors was perceived to have decreased. The participants reported a lower job satisfaction after the relocation and were more likely to seek new jobs. No aspects in the physical or psychosocial work environment were found to have improved after the relocation…The risk that staff cannot concentrate on their work in activity-based university workplaces and lose their sense of community with colleagues are factors, which in the long run may lead to decreased efficiency, more conflicts and poorer well-being.”

Hanne Berthelsen, Tuija Muhonen, and Susanna Toivanen. 2018. “What Happens to the Physical and Psychosocial Work Environment When Activity-Based Offices Are Introduced Into Academia?” Journal of Corporate Real Estate, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 230-243, https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-06-2017-0017

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.