Indoor environmental factors affecting the productivity of workers in office buildings

Abstract

Poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has been found to contribute significantly to productivity losses, with the extent of the contribution differing according to the type of office work in which workers are engaged. However, few studies focus specifically on the occupants of university office buildings where the work being undertaken involves a significant amount of academic research that is expected to require high levels of concentration, insight, creativity, and consistency than is needed in many other types of work. To develop a preliminary understanding of the IEQ factors affecting the productivity of people working in university office buildings, a pilot questionnaire was administered to postgraduate students to validate the IEQ factors that have been found to impact on productivity. To date, twelve postgraduate students from three different office buildings in The University of Auckland completed the questionnaire. The results showed that noise, temperature, air quality, and lighting were the factors most reported on with respect to effects on work productivity. The adopted IEQ factors in this questionnaire instrument is reliable. The findings from this study will help advance understanding of the IEQ factors affecting the productivity of workers in university office buildings, and provide insights for architects, building owners, office managers, and office users to help prevent or mitigate negative impacts on productivity by managing the IEQ conditions in workplaces. Future research will involve the analysis of data from staff as well as students to identify any possible differences that might exist between the two groups of workers engaged in academic research.