Profiling office workers based on their self-reported preferences of indoor environmental quality and psychosocial comfort at their workplace during COVID-19

Abstract The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 virus forced office workers to conduct their daily work activities from home over an extended period. Given this unique situation, an opportunity emerged to study the satisfaction of office workers with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors of their houses where work activities took place and associate these factors with mental and physical health. We designed and administered a questionnaire that was open for 45 days during the COVID-19 pandemic and received valid data from 988 respondents. The results show that low satisfaction with natural lighting, glare and humidity predicted eye related symptoms, while low satisfaction with noise was a strong predictor of fatigue or tiredness, headaches or migraines, anxiety, and depression or sadness. Nose and throat related symptoms and skin related symptoms were only uniquely predicted by low satisfaction with humidity. Low satisfaction with glare uniquely predicted an increase in musculoskeletal discomfort. Symptoms related to mental stress, rumination or worry were predicted by low satisfaction with air quality and noise. Finally, low satisfaction with noise and indoor temperature predicted the prevalence of symptoms related to trouble concentrating, maintaining attention or focus. Workers with higher income were more satisfied with humidity, air quality and indoor temperature and had better overall mental health. Older individuals had increased satisfaction with natural lighting, humidity, air quality, noise, and indoor temperature. Findings from this study can inform future design practices that focus on hybrid home-work environments by highlighting the impact of IEQ factors on occupant well-being.

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Influence of indoor environmental quality on the self-estimated performance of office workers in the tropical wet and hot climate of Cameroon

Journal of Building Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.jobe.2018.10.007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. 141-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Modeste Kameni Nematchoua ◽

Paola Ricciardi ◽

José A. Orosa ◽

Somayeh Asadi ◽

Ruchi Choudhary

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

The Self ◽

Office Workers ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Hot Climate

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Sick building syndrome and office space design in Cairo, Egypt

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x211016507 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1420326X2110165

Author(s):

Nada Farrag ◽

Manal A. S. Abou El-Ela ◽

Sherif Ezzeldin

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

Sick Building Syndrome ◽

Working Environment ◽

Office Workers ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Design Elements ◽

Healthy Environment ◽

Space Design ◽

Science Technology ◽

Sick Building

Sick building syndrome is a group of symptoms relatively common among office workers; such symptoms could have an impact on the worker's productivity. The aim of this research is to provide a better understanding of the relation between design elements, indoor environmental quality and sick building syndrome within office spaces in Cairo, Egypt. Results show that a healthy environment leads to higher level of office productivity. Several design elements were chosen to be analysed according to previous studies, and their relation to the indoor environmental quality was noted. The prevalence of these elements on sick building syndrome was studied. An empirical comparative study has been conducted within two administrative office buildings at Cairo campus of the ‘Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport' in Egypt. Data collection was done by a self-administrated questionnaire. The questionnaire includes personal background, work design elements, socio-demographic elements and symptoms of sick building syndrome. Headache and fatigue were the most prevalent symptoms in both buildings. This study revealed that office comfort is the most important factor affecting office occupants and should be taken seriously when designing office spaces for better working environment free of sick building syndrome.

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