Total Workplace Performance: Rethinking The Office Environment

This book is about the office workplace--what it is, how it operates, and how it affects the people who work there. It examines the origins of the modern day offices we know today, the functions they perform for their organizations, the building systems of which they are comprised, and the way their interior settings affect human performance. Throughout, the discussion focuses on practical implications, the choices that can significantly enhance the value an organization realizes from its office facility.

The book is oriented toward senior managers responsible for scrutinizing facility policies and expenditures. Extensively referenced, this comprehensive discussion of the office workplace presents information from such diverse fields as engineering, architecture, medicine, psychology, and sociology, in a form accessible to the nonexpert. It will be a valued reference for senior managers and facility professionals alike, as well as to others concerned about the quality of the office environment.

Chapter Outline:

The Case for Office Quality
This introductory chapter presents key issues and trends that are forcing organizations to rethink their approach to the cost and effectiveness of their office accommodations. The rapid pace of office work, made possible by automation, is no longer an option but a necessity to survive in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Global competition, demographics, a greater awareness of the health risks in offices, and more stringent health and safety regulations have made it costly to ignore the impact of the workplace environment on individual performance and organizational effectiveness.

The Office Facility
The origins of the office lie in the distant past. But the office as we know it today is a recent phenomenon that evolved from the increased administrative needs of the industrial revolution.

This chapter examines the dramatic changes in the physical design of the office as a result of the new functional demands placed upon it, the architectural design innovations developed to address them, and the availability of new construction materials.

The effects of thermal comfort, air quality, and acoustics on human performance are examined. It is shown how a knowledge of these relationships can be used to make decisions about office quality and facility management to optimize the performance of the office workforce and improve occupant satisfaction.

Computers in the Office Setting
The impact of computers on the office environment has been sudden and dramatic. In the space of a decade, office computing has migrated from the climate-controlled enclaves of computer specialists to the desks of office workers throughout the organization. The office has been revolutionized by this introduction of computers into general office space. But as with most rapid adoptions of technology, there have been unexpected problems that need to be resolved.

Though not inherently difficult or dangerous, working with computers places heavier physical as well as psychological demands on the user. As a result, a number of illnesses and injuries previously rare among office workers have suddenly become commonplace. Cumulative trauma disorder (also known as repetitive strain injury) has become a serious and widespread illness costing billions of dollars in medical compensation, lost productivity, and litigation. Vision difficulties and concerns about radiation exposure have also become important issues.

Recent research has substantially improved our understanding of these issues. It has also led to more effective preventive measures, such as ergonomically superior furniture designs and spatial layouts for computer-based work.

This chapter examines the nature of computer work, its impact on office workers, and the way that offices can be optimized to support computer-based activities.

Psychosocial Factors and Individual Environmental Control
The physical office setting has pervasive but often subtle social and psychological effects on those who work in it full time as well as on those who use it for a few hours.