Issue 27, March 2009

2008 marked the 40^th anniversary of the open plan cubicle. The term open plan refers to an office space that is divided into relatively small workstations by low partitions. The workstations are arranged so that there are no high walls or doors separating the occupants.

The open plan concept has gained momentum over the decades with more and more organizations adopting this approach. The open plan design provides benefits such as:

• Cost-effective design;

• Equal work space for employees;

• Enhanced communication;

• Increased collaboration;

• Flexibility to work in different areas;

• Accommodating more employees; and

• Energy efficient heating and cooling design.

A recent article in the Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management has reviewed the various issues that affect employees in an open plan work environment. This article gained considerable media attention around the world in January 2009.

The authors found that employees face a multitude of problems when working in an open plan work environment, including:

• Loss of privacy;

• Loss of identity;

• Low work productivity;

• Various health issues;

• Overstimulation; and

• Low job satisfaction.

At CETEC through our many studies using measurement tools and occupant satisfaction surveys we have found that some open plan indoor environments can be disruptive to occupant well-being and productivity. For example:

An employee who undertook legal work and so required intense mental concentration had anxiety about the level of noise within their office environment. It interfered with their ability to concentrate upon their work and so affected their capability to complete work to deadlines. Their workstation was located with other employees that had “call centre” activities. The noise that was considered distracting comprised nearby persons being loud on the telephone or meetings/gathering of people in the vicinity.

Typically, acoustic comfort is given a low satisfaction score in occupant surveys. Occupants generally cite issues concerning noise and privacy - for example people talking on the phone, people talking in neighbouring areas and/or people overhearing private conversations.

Nevertheless, your open plan indoor environment can be managed. Canadian Researchers belonging to the Center for Open Plan Evaluation (COPE) have extensively examined open plan office design. Their research has led to practical advice for the design and management of open plan offices.

The design and management of open-plan offices to create an office that supports your organizational productivity must consider at least:

• Acoustics;

• Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort;

• Lighting and Day-lighting; and

• Workstation Design and Layout.

Most importantly your design must consider the occupants and the tasks that they do.

This does mean that priorities must be selected during the design process as office features that satisfy your needs in one dimension sometimes conflict with goals in your other dimensions.

When you come to occupy the open plan work space it is essential that you seek feedback in regards to how the design matches function. The suitability of your open plan indoor environment can be assessed through:

• Quantitative data from measurements; and

• An appropriately designed and internationally benchmarked occupant satisfaction survey.

The information obtained through the above will allow you an understanding of the your issues so that corrective actions through design or management policy can be enacted. Being aware of the factors that contribute to your positive indoor environment allows you to achieve a quality workplace.

CETEC can via its Facility Ecology approach provide you or your management with an assessment of your open plan indoor environment and potential impact on occupant well-being and productivity.

For other related CETEC articles:
Office Noise

 

Select another article from this issue:

	Odour Assessment for Indoor Environments
	Green Cities and Managing Indoor Environment Quality
	Awards Night at UNSW
	Smart Fabrics for Today and Tomorrow