Studio 3

Aesha Abuhabaya
9 Septemper 2022

The Effect of Workplace Design

on Quality of Life at Work

The idea of Quality of Work Life emerged to encourage changes in workers’ Quality of
Life, with a focus on the impact that workspace design and environmental factors have on
employee morale and productivity.

“Why Quality Matters”

The effectiveness of each environment can be stated to have a direct effect on people's
Quality of Life by demonstrating the extent to which people are impacted by the
environment.
Understanding human wants is important for determining the quality of life. The
success or failure of elements of the physical environment to suit people's needs is a major
focus of environmental psychology study.

 This hierarchy creates a pyramid spanning from the most fundamental for living to the
less fundamental but nonetheless vital. The more requirements are addressed, the higher
people's quality of life is.

“Quality of Work Life”

The job or task, physical conditions including building design, materials, and
technology, as well as economic and social factors, have all been demonstrated to have an
impact on the Quality of Work Life. Increased work stress is frequently a result of poor
Quality of Work Life. Giving workers more environmental control can minimize workplace
stress. Workers lose time and energy adjusting to poorly planned workspaces, which lowers the
time and energy they devote to their jobs.

“Models of Environmental Quality at Work”

Environmental quality is a broad concept used to evaluate how users feel about the
physical spaces they inhabit. An essential component of the quality of work life and a
signi cant factor in determining the quality of life of employees is environmental quality.

This Figure shows how Environment Quality has a direct effect on the Quality of Life

Environmental Quality of Work Quality of Life

Quality Life

Indicators of user satisfaction and user effectiveness (productivity) that in uence general well-
being and quality of life are provided by this method of Environment Quality assessment.

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 “Functional Comfort and Environmental Quality”

Functional comfort is one indicator of environmental quality: occupants of high-quality

environments describe them as pleasant because they are able to complete their tasks quickly
and effectively, without stress, and in a setting that supports them.

The basis for inhabitants is Physical Comfort. People feel that their health and well-
being may be in jeopardy if their physical comfort is insuf cient, and in some circumstances,
such as when indoor air quality is a problem, they are unable to perform their jobs. A
functionally comfortable workspace supports people's duties, whereas an uncomfortably
constructed workspace forces employees to focus their energy on overcoming environmental
obstacles to task performance, which results in stress.

Numerous studies on Functional Comfort have revealed that just a small number of
environmental factors signi cantly in uence work performance. These consist of:
1. Indoor air quality, ventilation, and thermal comfort
2. Illumination environment and lighting
3. Windows and natural light
4. Noise control and acoustic comfort

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 5. Private space is available for concentration and discretion.

6. Dimensions, layouts, and storage for workstations
7. access to shared and cooperative areas
8. maintaining and cleaning
9. security and safety.

Territoriality, privacy, and control are the three behaviorally observable factors that
determine Psychological Comfort. Privacy is best de ned as the need to exert control over
one's accessibility to others; a sense of territory is linked to a sense of belonging and
ownership.

“Using Functional Comfort to Measure Environmental Quality”

Asking employees is the greatest approach to determine whether they are comfortable
or uncomfortable. The results of the survey assist in identifying both favorable and
encouraging building conditions as well as those that could lead to workplace stress.

Functional comfort measurement is one of the numerous Environment Quality

assessment methods that are accessible. In order to identify problems and inform space design
and planning, survey data must be examined, the ndings must be understood, and relevant
conclusions must be drawn.

Environmental Quality has been assessed through functional comfort assessments and
other evidence-gathering processes in a variety of workspace design and planning contexts.

The outcomes of these analyses offer a valid and trustworthy measure of environmental
quality and make it easier to assess the quality of life of workers.

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 Designing a Better Workspace to Enhance Users' Worklife Quality

To better support what users are actually doing, the interior environment must be
shaped with the use of diagnostic data on workspace quality. This means that once the health
and safety of the occupants are guaranteed in terms of physical comfort, workers should
occupy a exible workspace where lighting levels can be adjusted, different desk and chair
arrangements are possible, and environments support productive and owing collaboration as
well as focused concentration and privacy.

The ideal indoor environment is one in which all occupants are satis ed and in which
the danger or severity of illness or injury is not unnecessarily increased.

References
https://drive.google.com/ le/d/12QbNrNwh82-33EOKlo25hP0oLBJNvhkI/view?
usp=sharing

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