Bring your understanding of anxiety with you: Employees’ experiences of anxiety in open-plan offices

Abstract

Employees within open-plan offices are at greater risk of experiencing anxiety in comparison to employees within cell offices. Organizational Behavior studies overlook why some employees within open-plan offices are more vulnerable of experiencing anxiety than others. This thesis addresses calls for richer recounts of the variation of employees’ experiences of anxiety within open-plan offices. Specifically, this thesis investigates two research questions: what are the different ways employees understand their experiences of anxiety within open-plan offices? and how are employees’ understandings of experiencing anxiety related to the ways they experience anxiety within open-plan offices? From an interpretative paradigm, this study adopted a phenomenography approach to identify a variation of employees’ understandings of their experiences of anxiety within open-plan offices. This study drew on the Personal Construct Theory (PCT) to explain how individuals can vary in their understandings of experiencing anxiety. Data was derived from 19 semi-structured interviews and observations of employees’ experiences across three open-plan offices. Data was analyzed using Sandberg (2000)’s phenomenography approach. Five understandings of experiencing anxiety within open-plan offices were identified. Employees who experience anxiety as helplessness feel stuck when experiencing anxiety. Employees who experience anxiety as hurt feel discomfort. Employees who experience anxiety as a vulnerability perceive anxiety is a weakness. Employees who experience anxiety as a problem to be solved express confidence in their ability to resolve anxiety. Employees who experience anxiety as stimulating self-development perceive anxiety as an opportunity for personal growth. Major findings postulate that employees who experience anxiety as helplessness, hurt and a vulnerability are prone to maladaptive experiences of anxiety. Maladaptive experiences occur when anxiety interferes with one’s life in a negative manner. Employees who experience anxiety as a problem to be solved and stimulating self-development are prone to adaptive experiences of anxiety. Adaptive experiences occur when people are motivated to overcome anxiety. These understandings may underpin employees’ ways of experiencing anxiety within the open-plan offices. Employees’ understandings of experiencing anxiety promoted and inhibited specific ways of experiencing anxiety. Employees who experience anxiety as helplessness, hurt and a vulnerability promoted ways that emphasized negative aspects of anxiety. These understandings inhibited ways of experiencing anxiety that led to adaptive experiences of anxiety. Whereas, employees who experience anxiety as a problem to be solved and stimulating self-development promoted ways that emphasized positive aspects of anxiety. These understandings inhibited ways of experiencing anxiety that led to maladaptive experiences of anxiety. This study contributes to literature about employee wellbeing and the physical environment of work within the Organizational Behavior field. Theoretical implications include recognizing a variety of understandings of experiencing anxiety in contrary to the original PCT. Practical implications include advocating alternative coping approaches for employees’ idiosyncratic understandings of experiencing anxiety within open-plan offices. This thesis argues a ‘one size fits all’ coping approach is inadequate for employees who differ in their understandings of experiencing anxiety within open-plan offices.