This literature review deals with the “ideal work environment”. More precisely, based on three articles, I will present factors which improve the well-being of employees in their work-environment.
Nowadays, many researchers of social psychology and environmental psychology are interested with the concept of well-being at work, and more exactly with the arrangement of workspaces.
First of all, what is a work environment? According to Fleury-Bahi (2010), works environment are defined as “instrumental spaces which respond to a functionality”. However, beyond that functional dimension, these spaces could be defined like “individual and social territories” (Fleury-Bahi, 2010). Therefore, workers can appropriate and control this place, felling a well-being, but also create relationships with their colleagues (Fleury-Bahi, 2010). In addition, the concept of well-being at work is an important subject of research, but it does not have a consensual definition. It is often associated with mental health and job satisfaction. Dagenais-Desmarais and Privé (2010) define the well-being as “a positive subjective experience where we tend to express the best of oneself”, and this experience is built through “oneself, social relations at work and in interactions with our organization”. Well-being at work depends mostly of the perception that a person have of his or her objective situation.
Dravigne, Waliczek, Lineberger and Zajocek (2008), showed the effects of the work environment on health. More exactly, they present the benefits of plants and window views of green spaces on health: workers who have plants in their office perceive a higher overall job satisfaction than employees who do not have plants or a view on green spaces. In addition, those workers possess a strong overall life quality. Consequently, “employees with interior plants in their offices tend to consider themselves happier or more content” than employees who do not have plants (Dravigne, Waliczek, Lineberger & Zajocek, 2008). To summarize, plants have a good effect on the job satisfaction of employees but also on overall life quality. This is the same result for windows which have a view on green spaces.
In line of the study of Dravigne, Waliczek, Lineberger and Zajocek (2008), Nicolas Guégen (2017), after a review of scientific publications on the thematic of the “ideal office”, explain that personalize our work environment (e.g., with plants, pictures, drawings of children) helps to feel better inside this place. More we personalize our office and more we are satisfied of our job. It makes employees to feel “at home” in their office, the social climate is better and they are feeling recognised, thus, they do not have the impression to be a robot. Indeed all these positive feelings are linked to the fact that this personalization provokes “memories and positive emotions” (Guéguen, 2017). Moreover, put some plants on the desk increase the well-being, the creativity, the concentration, and decrease the stress, “the sensation of tiredness and headaches” (Guéguen, 2017). We can explain these consequences, on one hand because plants enhance the quality of the atmosphere (i.e., a lower quantity of dust). On the other hand, the colour green and the greenery are associated with a sensation of well-being which could provoke less focalisation on psychological and physical pain, since the human species grew up during a very long time in a natural environment. Thereby, when the work environment include some plants, studies showed that employees feel more productive and have less sick leaves (Guéguen, 2017).
Furthermore, other researchers, Wells, Thelen and Ruark (2007) were interested with the personalization. They studied some factors which influence this personalization. They defined this concept as “the deliberate decoration or modification of an environment by its occupants to reflect their identities” (Wells, Thelen & Ruark, 2007). They found also that people who personalize their office have a better level of well-being, job satisfaction, and they have less stress. Beyond the mental and physical health of employees which is improved, the personalization has also some benefits for companies because “higher levels of employee morale, enhance organizational and social climates, and reduce turnover” (Wells, Thelen & Ruark, 2007). Also, there are some factors which have an influence on the personalization as the permission, the commitment in the organization, the organizational culture, the status, the sex and the age. All companies do not allow the personalization. Employees who are allowed to personalize their office personalize more than employees who are not allowed. Then, the personalization of the office could indicate the level of organizational commitment of employees: people who are more committed in their company will personalize more their office, for example with family pictures and artworks. In addition, companies which have a family culture which is characterized by “teamwork, open communication, empowerment, and leaders who act as mentors”, authorized more personalization than companies with another culture, in favour to the competition for example. Moreover, the status has an importance. In fact, “employees with higher status have higher-quality workspaces”, in other words they have personal offices, and they personalize more their work environment than employees with a lower status (Wells, Thelen & Ruark, 2007). Finally, generally, these are women who personalize the most their work environment, and people who are older personalize more than younger people.
In addition, Ajdukovic, Gilibert and Labbouz (2014) relate that employees who personalize their office have an attachment to their work environment and they are more satisfied with it. Therefore, by personalizing their workspace, employees create a more pleasant office “which contributes to the expression of their identity, but also and especially to their well-being” (Ajdukovic, Gilibert & Labbouz, 2014).
To conclude, some parameters have an influence on our psychological state as the decoration of the office with pictures of our family, drawings of our children, windows, a contact or a view on the nature. However, we have to consider the limits of the “ideal work environment” described by researchers. Indeed, the concept of personalization and plants in offices is a good starting point but it is not enough for the well-being of employees. Leaders must be “vigilant to the perceived quality of workstations by their employees and, in the longer term, to the structuring of these workstations” (Ajdukovic, Gilibert & Labbouz, 2014). To finish, all companies are not open-minded to the change with the personalization of employees’ offices, and all jobs can not use this process (e.g., a worker in a factory).
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Bibliography
Ajdukovic, I., Gilibert, D., & Labbouz, D. (2014). Confort au travail: Le rôle de l’attachement et de la personnalisation dans la perception de la qualité de l’espace de travail. Psychologie du travail et des organisations, 20(3), 311-327
Dagenais-Desmarais, V., & Privé, C. (2010). Comment améliorer le bien-être psychologique au travail? Gestion, 35(3), 69. doi:10.3917/riges.353.0069
Dravigne A., Waliczek T. M., Lineberger R.D., & Zajicek J.M. (2008). The Effect of Live Plants and Window Views of Green Space on Employee Perceptions of Job Satisfaction. HortScience, 43(1), 183-187
Fleury-Bahi, G. (2010). De l’évaluation du lieu à la qualité de vie perçue. In G. Fleury-Bahi (dir.), Psychologie et environnement: Des concepts aux applications (pp. 21-41). Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique: De Boeck Supérieur.
Guéguen, N. (2017). Mon bureau idéal. Cerveau & Psycho, 92(1), 84-87.
Wells M., Thelen L.,& Ruark J. (2007).Workspace Personalization and Organizational Culture Does Your Workspace Reflect You or Your Company?. Environment and Behavior, 39(5), 616 – 634
Words I have learnt:
– “Greenery” : « végétation »
– “artwork” : « tableau » (de peinture)
– “sick leaves” : « arrêts maladie »
– “workstation”: « poste de travail »
– “surroundings” : « milieu/ environnement » (Word discovered in this sentence : “views of natural surroundings”)