Perceptions of activity-based offices are associated with employee well-being and self-reported work ability in...

As digitalization has made knowledge work multilocational, the need for space-efficient, modern-design offices, including activity-based offices, has increased. However, studies of how activity-based offices are related to employee well-being, particularly in hybrid work, are rare. This study investigated whether the perceived activity-based office environment in hybrid work is associated with employee well-being and self-reported work ability.

We used a cross-sectional survey of 971 employees working in activity-based offices in 5 Finnish organizations in 2022. The workplaces were observed, and the employees responded to a survey of their office environment perceptions, well-being, and work ability. The survey covered burnout risk scores, work engagement, daily recovery, self-reported work ability, insomnia, and pain symptoms. We used the regression analysis general linear model to analyze associations between the environmental perceptions and employee outcomes, adjusting for age, gender, supervisory position, and telework frequency or effort-reward imbalance.

Employees' daily recovery and self-reported work ability were better when the employees' office environment perceptions (task privacy, satisfaction with work environment, person-environment fit, workspace support for interaction, ease of workspace switching) were more positive. These associations remained in the adjusted models. Additionally, work engagement increased, and burnout risk scores and insomnia symptoms decreased when workplace conditions were perceived more favorably.

More favorable perceptions of activity-based offices are associated with better employee well-being and self-reported work ability in hybrid work. The perceived office environment seems essential for employee well-being and work ability even when psychosocial aspects (effort-reward imbalance) are taken into account.