The effect of physical environment comfort on employees’ performance in office buildings

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 294-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azlan Shah Ali ◽  
Shirley Jin Lin Chua ◽  
Melissa Ee-Ling Lim
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Luminance Level ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Employee Productivity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Related

Purpose – Maintaining a comfortable physical environment in the workplace is claimed to be vital as it will create a “healthier” building with optimum environmental conditions, which enable employees to be healthier and have a lower absenteeism rate, and hence be more productive. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to deal with the importance of physical environment comfort in the office workplace. Evaluation was made of the office workers’ performance that is mainly affected by levels of comfort in the office. Design/methodology/approach – Three selected case studies were evaluated based on aspects of employees’ comfort, perceived health and absenteeism rate, by considering the elements of physical comfort that consist of room temperature, relative humidity and luminance level. The selected case studies were the Department of Development and Estate Maintenance of three research universities in Malaysia. Field studies were carried out using hygrometers and lux meters in measuring the said elements as well as post-occupancy evaluation, which involved 30 respondents for each case (total 90 respondents), to determine their perception of comfort and its effect on their health and absenteeism rate. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Findings – The results suggest that employees did not find luminance level uncomfortable, when compared with room temperature, thus proving that employees are more sensitive to room temperature comfort. Furthermore, when the room temperature comfort was low, significant correlations were found with health-related issues such as feeling “stuffy”, being easily tired and having difficulty concentrating. Originality/value – This paper investigates the relationship between employee performance and a comfortable workplace environment. It could be concluded that an uncomfortable environment in an office workplace leads to health-related issues as well as increasing the absenteeism rate. High levels of employee absenteeism lead to decreased employee productivity, therefore affecting their work performance.

Physical environment comfort towards Malaysian universities office employers’ performance and productivity

Facilities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 686-703
Author(s):  
Azlan Shah Ali ◽  
Shirley Jin Lin Chua ◽  
Melissa Ee Ling Lim
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Teaching Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Physical Comfort ◽  
Office Employees ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The physical environment comfort in a workplace is claimed to be vital, as it will encourage healthier, more productive and lower absenteeism rate among employees. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of physical environment comfort and establish its relationship with employees’ performance and productivity. Design/methodology/approach Evaluation for the selected case studies is made in the aspects of employee’s comfort perceive health and absenteeism rate by wielding the elements of physical comfort consisting room temperature, relative humidity and illuminance level. Field study and questionnaire survey were carried out for three institutional building particularly management department. Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to establish the relationship between the physical environment comfort and health symptoms faced by the employees. Findings Correlations were found between room temperature, lighting and relative humidity with health-related issues such as feeling stuffy, getting tired easily and facing difficulty in concentration which affect employees’ productivity and work performances. In addition, it was proven that the overall physical environment comfort factors have an impact on employees’ health which indirectly affects their absenteeism rate. The average absenteeism rate was compared between the case studies as well. Originality/value Performance and productivity for universities’ office employees are very essential in ensuring that the universities run smoothly and support teaching, innovation, learning and research activities. This study attempts to establish the relationship between physical environment comfort and universities’ office employees’ performance and productivity.

scholarly journals The impact of strategic transformation on employee productivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Employee Productivity ◽  
Operating Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operating Income ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Strategic Transformation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a strategic commentary on the interconnected areas of corporate strategy and employee performance by illustrating how two organizations adapted and transformed their businesses to the demands of digitalization and new media. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal analysis (1995-2015) of employee productivity was calculated as operating income per employee for each firm and benchmarked against industry data. Findings Both firm’s corporate objectives and strategies were focused on ambitious levels of growth and the opportunities provided by an increasingly digital environment. However, the firms had transformed their businesses in different ways with distinct employee productivity performance outcomes. Practical implications This paper provides case studies of strategic transformation and argues that HR management strategies and practices need to be continually evaluated to assess their employee productivity in an uncertain digital operating environment. Originality/value This paper provides a longitudinal analysis of how media firms, Sky Plc and Pearson Plc, adapted, reconfigured and transformed their businesses to meet the demands of an operating environment characterized by inexorable changes in digital technologies. It presents data and conclusions on how the management of “human resources” had delivered different employee productivity outcomes over the long term.

A “coalesced framework” of talent management and employee performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kwame Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Improve Theory ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that demonstrates the mechanisms through which talent management (TM) leads to the various dimensions of employee performance. Design/methodology/approach – A literature-based analysis was employed by combining concepts from TM and employee performance. The syntheses of these two concepts lead to the development of the conceptual framework. Findings – The findings show that, implementation of a TM system leads to employee performance, but a TM output mediates the relationship between TM and employee performance. Originality/value – This paper has contributed to the conceptualisation of TM and employee performance which will help to improve theory, research and practice in all fields concerned with individual work performance.

Occupant satisfaction on facility services: case studies of six multi-generational condominiums

Facilities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaiwat Riratanaphong ◽  
Sorawis Limjaroensuk
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Occupant Satisfaction

Purpose Feedback from condominium occupants on multi-generational condominium facility services makes it possible to identify areas in need of improvement and development concerning facilities management in this residential project type. This paper aims to examine behaviours, needs, preferences and patterns of space use in condominium occupants from three different age groups (under 30, 30 to 50 and over 50 years old) relative to their satisfaction with facility services. The paper examines the impact of the physical environment and facility service arrangement (i.e. cleaning and security) on occupant satisfaction in the common areas of six multi-generational condominiums and investigates whether occupant satisfaction varies between the three age groups. Design/methodology/approach Six case studies classified as multi-generational condominiums were conducted. Research methods included document analysis, field surveys, interviews with juristic person managers and surveys from condominium occupants regarding their satisfaction with cleaning and security services in the common areas. The findings were then applied one-way ANOVA to test occupant satisfaction mean differences between age groups. Findings The findings indicate that physical environment characteristics including the location, size, number and design attributes of common areas have an impact on the provision of facility services and may influence occupant satisfaction. In terms of the facility service arrangement, both the service method and the ratio of staff to areas of responsibility can be explained in connection to functional and technical quality, respectively. Occupants’ demands and behaviours, such as the strong requirement for privacy, the preference towards service staff accessibility and the frequency of space usage, contribute to different levels of occupant satisfaction. Research limitations/implications More case studies in Thailand and also in other countries, based on surveys with large samples of respondents, are required to increase the validity and to establish whether it is possible to generalise the study’s findings. Practical implications The findings and reflections upon them help understand the impact of physical environment characteristics and the provision of facility services on occupant satisfaction in various age groups. Recommendations are provided concerning building design and the provision of facility services in connection to perceived service quality and occupant satisfaction in multi-generational condominiums in Thailand that can apply to other types of real estate projects where similar facility services are offered. Originality/value This paper contributes to research on occupant satisfaction with facility services and provides evidence on occupants’ feedback in different types of perceived service quality (i.e. technical and functional quality). Identifying the impact of physical environment characteristics, facility service arrangements and occupant behaviours on occupant satisfaction with the technical and functional aspects of facility services contributes to the body of research on facilities management.

Researching in volatile environments and the importance of adaptive methods for junior researchers

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Doyle ◽  
Anthea McCarthy-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Adaptive Methods ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Junior Researcher ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Conducting Research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of adaptive methods for junior researchers undertaking research in volatile and dangerous environments. Design/methodology/approach Through the presentation of two case studies of the authors’ own experiences in the field, the authors demonstrate the way the use of adaptive methods is crucial for junior researchers to overcome unforeseen obstacles and day-to-day difficulties presented by field studies in volatile locations. Finally, the authors address the gap in the methodological literature on how junior researchers can best communicate adaptive methods in the methodology section of his/her research project. Findings The authors argue the importance of embedding a first-person narrative into the methodology sections of the project as a clear way for a junior researcher to demonstrate elements fundamental to the data collection experience, thereby engaging the reader with crucial aspects of the research findings. Originality/value The need for junior researchers to draw on a greater degree of flexibility in the field when confronted by the challenges of conducting research in volatile environments is paramount to the success of the project. The authors offer, based on the experiences in the field, pragmatic techniques to addresses some of the “messiness” of field studies that allows the researcher to demonstrate the crucial importance of adaptive methods in the doctoral projects.

The productive service employee: personality, stress, satisfaction and performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 499-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric G. Harris ◽  
David E. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Employee Productivity ◽  
Service Worker ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Productivity ◽  
Personality Studies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to more closely examine the trait antecedents and outcomes of frontline employee productivity propensity. The study is the first to use a job demands-resources perspective on productivity propensity and it reveals that the inclusion of the construct into service worker personality studies significantly improves the explanatory ability of hypothesized models. Design/methodology/approach The study follows a job demands-resources perspective and uses an empirical study that included two subsamples: banking and health care. Path analyses were performed using two-group modeling to test the hypotheses. Mediation and hierarchical regressions were also used. Findings The findings indicate that the conscientiousness trait has a consistent effect on productivity propensity. More importantly, the findings reveal that productivity propensity influences role ambiguity, job satisfaction and self-rated service performance and that the addition of the construct into personality studies significantly improves the explanatory ability of personality models. Research limitations/implications This study presents further evidence that productivity propensity is an important construct in services research. Beyond previously established influences on bottom-line service productivity and manager-rated work performance, the current work indicates that it also influences FLE stress, engagement and work outcomes. Practical implications Managers work under pressures to ensure service productivity and are well aware of the importance of selecting job applicants who will fit the service role. This study provides additional evidence that the productivity propensity work resource should be considered when selecting employees. The work also suggests that customer workload and the standardization of the service environment impacts the influence of productivity propensity on service outcomes. Social implications Given the importance of transformative service experiences that uplift the experiences of consumers and employees, the productivity propensity of frontline service employees not only impacts the ability of the employee to satisfy customer needs, but also leads the employee to experience increased job satisfaction. Originality/value This work is the first work to consider the effects of productivity propensity from a job demands-resources perspective and, as such, the first to examine the influence of the construct on job satisfaction and service delivery.

Using bonus and awards for motivating project employees

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 4-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuck C.H. Law
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
Real Life ◽  
International Assignments ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Project

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the appropriate uses of bonuses and award in recruiting and motivating project employees. Design/methodology/approach It is a conceptual discussion of human resources management (HRM) practices, supported by the author’s professional experience and observations in real-life project settings. Findings Bonuses and awards not only provide extrinsic financial rewards but also provide positive feedback to recipients. Extrinsic financial benefits (such as sign-on bonus, and retention bonus) may enhance the total compensation package and positively affect an employee’s job-related decision at least for the short term. He/she may accept a job offer or choose to stay on a project longer until the completion of a critical milestone because of the bonuses. However, positive recognition of employee performance (through the use of spot award, holiday award, or non-financial certificate of appreciation) is also a useful means to motivate employees. In addition, managers on international assignments need to pay attention to practices specific to host countries. Practical implications The practices discussed in this paper are based on real-life experience and observations. When they are used properly in conjunction with other HRM arrangements, bonuses and awards can be used to mitigate and delay turnover, and to motivate employees to increase their work performance. Originality/value This paper not only draws on theories and information from the HRM and project management literature but also draws from the author’s own management experience. Thus, the relevance and validity of the proposed concepts and practices have been proven in actual functional and project management settings.

How to improve employee performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach Various factors can predict disengagement in the workplace. By taking measures to address issues within specific areas, firms can alleviate the damaging consequences and ensure that employees are engaged in their work and more productive. Practical implications This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives’ and researchers’ hours of reading time by selecting only the very best and most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The impact of new working practices on employee productivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige ◽  
Yat Hung Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Employee Productivity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consultancy Firm ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to analyse the impact on employee productivity of adopting the activity-based working (ABW) a form of new work practices (NWPs). A study of this nature has never been made in Asia. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods design was used, which combined a comprehensive literature review, three interviews with senior professionals and a questionnaire survey with 37 office occupiers all from one international real estate consultancy firm in Hong Kong, as a case study, to analyse the impact of ABW on employee productivity. Findings Findings suggest that ABW influences employee productivity to a certain degree. Though both physical and behavioural working environmental factors influence employee productivity in general, the latter factors were relatively more influential. Interestingly, though space-per-employee has been reduced under the ABW, this has not affected employee performance negatively. However, findings indicate that distraction elements (e.g. interruptions, overcrowding and noise) do have a negative influence on employee performance. Research limitations/implications The scope of this exploratory study is limited to Hong Kong and to a small sample of respondents representing one international real estate firm. However, the results could be interpreted for critical learning in other similarly expensive real estate rental markets. Originality/value The study highlighted the impact of not only physical but also behavioural working environment factors on employee productivity. The maximum benefits of NWPs can only be accomplished by striking a balance between aspects of physical and behavioural working environments.

scholarly journals Emotional labour strategies and employee performance: the role of emotional intelligence

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-149
Author(s):  
Ahmed Kamassi ◽  
Loutfi Boulahlib ◽  
NoorHazilah Abd Manaf ◽  
Azura Omar
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Staff Performance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between emotional labour (EL) strategies and employees’ performance by considering the role of emotional intelligence (EI) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach This study focused on the administrative staff of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) who deal with students and guests from different countries. A total of 186 valid questionnaires were gathered from administrative staff selected using random sampling. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses of this study. Findings The results showed significant relationships of EL strategies with administrative staff performance. Furthermore, moderation analyses revealed that EI moderates the relationships between EL strategies and staff performance. Originality/value The study extends the current research on the effects of EL strategies on work performance and tests the moderating role of EI in these relationships in higher learning institutions. Moreover, it examines the performance of EL strategies and EI in cross-cultural context.

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