INFLUENCE OF WORKPLACE DESIGN ON EMPLOYEE QUALITY OF WORK IN SELECTED TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN LAGOS STATE

Abstract

This study examined the influence of workplace design on employee quality of work in the selected tertiary institutions in Lagos State. Lecturers, students and other employees have depicted conflicting opinions and reactions as to the physical designs of their workplace and how the designs affect the quality of their work. Personal interview with some staff and students of Lagos State University (LASU) showed that, like other survey in literature, while some believe the workplace design does put the employee into consideration, others, especially the students, feel it affect their performance negatively as their workstation look shameful to them. The study aimed to examine how ergo-friendly workplace designs influence employee work time delivery and if consideration for employees’ input in the acquisition of equipment and furniture influence the employee quality of work in selected higher institutions Lagos State. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of the study comprised of academic staff in four tertiary institutions in Lagos State, this result in a total population of two thousand two hundred and eighty (2280). The study used Yamane (1967) formula to derive a sample size of three hundred and fifty (350) from the population. The study adopted a random sampling technique in selecting the sample from the population. The reliability of the research instrument was assessed using the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient while the validity was assessed using content and face validities. The study found that, amongst others, there is a moderate positive relationship between employees’ inputs in the acquisition of equipment and employee quality of work (R = 0.608); this implies that as the employees’ opinions and contributions are sought and utilised, employees’ quality of work improves. It was concluded that ergo-friendly workplace designs are essential factors in improving employees work time delivery and, therefore, recommended that management of tertiary institutions should make workplace environment more ergo-friendly as this has shown to have a significant effect on work time delivery of staff.