Sickness absence and sickness presence in relation to office type: An observational study of employer-recorded and self-reported data from Sweden.

Loretta G Platts,Aram Seddigh,Hugo Westerlund,Erik Berntson

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231934

Abstract

ObjectivesPrevious research suggesting that open-plan office environments are associated with higher rates of sickness absence rely on self-reports which can be affected by recall bias. This paper investigates the associations of sickness absence, obtained from employer records as well as self-reports, with office type (cell offices and different sizes of open-plan offices). It additionally studies whether office type is associated with sickness presence.MethodsEmployees from two private and one public sector organization were recruited to the study. Office type was ascertained by direct observation or from employee responses to an online survey. Control variables were gender, age, public/private sector and education level. Number of days and episodes of sickness absence were calculated from employer absence records and regressed on office type using negative binomial regression (n = 988). Self-reports of sickness absence and presence were regressed on office type using ordered logistic regression (n = 1237).ResultsOffice type was generally not associated with employer records of number of episodes or days of sickness absence, except that the total number of days of leave was higher in flex offices compared to cell offices (IRR = 2.46, p = 0.007). In general, office type was not associated with self-reported days of sickness absence, apart from participants working in medium-sized open-plan offices who had 0.42 higher log-odds of absence than those working in cell offices (p = 0.004). Office type was not associated with self-reported sickness presence.ConclusionsOffice type was not associated with sickness presence nor, in general, with sickness absence, whether obtained from self-reports or company records. It is not possible to conclude from this study that open-plan offices are associated with greater sickness absence or sickness presence compared to cell offices.

Highlights

A major trend in organizations worldwide is the conversion of office space from cell offices to various sorts of open-plan office environments and activity-based flexible offices in which employees do not have an individually assigned desk. [1] By taking up less space and using space more flexibly, open-plan and flex offices potentially offer cost savings to employers and provide opportunities for different modes of working that may suit employees
Office type was not associated with sickness presence nor, in general, with sickness absence, whether obtained from self-reports or company records
It is not possible to conclude from this study that open-plan offices are associated with greater sickness absence or sickness presence compared to cell offices

Summary

Introduction

A major trend in organizations worldwide is the conversion of office space from cell offices to various sorts of open-plan office environments and activity-based flexible offices in which employees do not have an individually assigned desk. [1] By taking up less space and using space more flexibly, open-plan and flex offices potentially offer cost savings to employers and provide opportunities for different modes of working that may suit employees. [4] Another mechanism may be that office design has been associated with factors such as distraction, cognitive stress and dissatisfaction with the environment, perhaps because employees working in open-plan offices have limited personal control over their environment, such as regulating temperature and noise levels. Illness may affect work by causing the employee to be absent from work or to attend work while ill, the latter described as sickness presence or presenteeism Both sickness absence and presence are common and carry substantial economic and social costs, not least to employers. [13] both phenomena correlate with personal and work-related factors that affect vulnerability to illness, with higher levels of absence and presenteeism correlating with high psychosocial stress and poor social support. In relation to this measure, one study showed that employees in small, medium and

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