An experience sampling approach to the workplace environment survey
ISSN: 0263-2772
Article publication date: 6 August 2019
Issue publication date: 17 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to pilot test the effectiveness of the experience sampling approach for measuring employee satisfaction with the workplace environment. Additionally, the authors also aimed to explore, which aspects of environmental comfort have the strongest impact on momentary well-being and productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 15 knowledge workers in an open-plan office environment were sent a brief survey (measuring environmental comfort, momentary well-being and perceived productivity) each day over an 11-day study period and provided 78 individual survey responses in total.
Findings
All but one of the measures on the survey had low test-retest reliability, indicating that employees’ experiences of environmental comfort varied significantly each time they completed the survey. Additionally, higher environmental comfort was associated with improved well-being and productivity.
Practical implications
The results suggest that an experience sampling approach to the workplace occupant survey is justified to better capture the temporal variability in experiences of environmental comfort. The results also suggest that improving environmental comfort, particularly by reducing the level of distractions, will enable employees to work more productively.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first field study which has attempted to directly address limitations in traditional occupant surveys by using an experience sampling approach rather than a one-time-only questionnaire.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The primary author for this paper is used as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) associate on a project funded by the UK Government’s agency for innovation, Innovate UK.
Citation
Roskams, M. and Haynes, B. (2020), "An experience sampling approach to the workplace environment survey", Facilities, Vol. 38 No. 1/2, pp. 72-85. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-04-2019-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited