3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Work environment--South Africa

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    Green envy: the study of green buildings and their effects on employee wellbeing.
    (2019) Meyer, Ryan E.
    This research conducted a post-occupancy evaluation of a green building within Johannesburg, South Africa. The study focused on the impact of indoor environmental quality features (IEQ) in green buildings on employee health and wellbeing as opposed to conventional buildings. This study investigated the overall satisfaction of IEQ features within a 5-star GBCSA rated building as well as the impact that IEQ features had on employee wellbeing, which was analyzed as two separate variables, physical and emotional wellbeing. The sample consisted of 4557 participants with 749 matched participants from 2017 to 2018. In line with global literature, a statistically significant result was found with regards to IEQ satisfaction, across health, performance and overall satisfaction. Although the majority of green building research has found an increase in both physical and emotional wellbeing as a result of the improvement of indoor environmental quality, this study found a statistically significant increase in the physical wellbeing of employees, however, a non-significant increase in employees’ emotional wellbeing. Keywords: Green Building, Employee Health &Wellbeing, IEQ Features.
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    The effects of workspace office layout on aspects of employee wellbeing
    (2018) Laughton, Keren-Amy
    With the change in nature of work, the spaces in which work is done has also changed, prompting research into the effects of the work environment on employees. The purpose of this study is to investigate how different types of workplace office spaces will have different impacts on aspects of wellbeing in employees. The facets explored are how employees perceive their satisfaction of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) attributes, how they perceive their performance and health within these IEQ conditions, how they perceive their current workspace affecting their physical and psychological discomfort, and how they perceived their own psychological wellbeing. A quantitative survey was compiled from previous literature, appropriate to exploring these variables. The questionnaire was piloted at a company that owns, develops, and manages property before being conducted over a two-week period at a large health insurance company in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The final survey consisted of three subscales of the Green Building Survey (Hedge & Dorsey, 2012) measuring perceived satisfaction of indoor environmental quality and its impact on health and performance; the GABO questionnaire (Pierrette et al., 2015) assessed six aspects of perceived noise; the extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire assessed physical discomfort in nine body regions; perceived psychological comfort; and perceived psychological wellbeing using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Data were collected using an online survey platform. The final sample consisted of 1853 participants of different genders, races, ages, and organisational levels of a prominent South African organisation. The results of this study are beneficial to the field as literature pertaining to workspace layout is outdated and new research is needed as innovative trends in layout types are emerging. Most previous research on employee perceptions addresses productivity but not necessarily different aspects of perceived health, wellbeing, and comfort. It is expected that this study will contribute to finding clarity in a still-ambiguous field and will add to the present-day change in how and where work is done.
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    Employees' experiences with new workspace layout: a user-centred approach
    (2017) Zackey, Nicolette Mary
    Numerous studies have shown that the office workspace environment can have an effect on employees’ performance, satisfaction, psychological wellbeing, and other such factors. As such office workspace design has gained more traction in international research and amongst organisations globally. The office space is an organisation’s second largest expense, it is therefore pertinent that organisations, who have chosen to focus on the office to enhance employee wellbeing, choose the most appropriate and optimal environment for their employees. One of the methods to ensure employees are satisfied with the space is to utilise a user-centred approach that allows employees the opportunity to comment on the space and to communicate their needs for the space. A South African organisation that has chosen to develop its space was a health insurance company that was undergoing a workspace redesign for their new buildings. The aim of this research report was to make use of a mixed method design that may have assisted the company, and the other parties involved, in gaining greater insight into whether the layout change had performed its functions effectively, as well as to ensure that the layout had accomplished the company’s goals. The research report focused on the following variables: psychological wellbeing, physical wellbeing, work engagement, job satisfaction, perceived productivity (performance), satisfaction with the workspace layout, and collaboration/interaction. The study consisted of 158 participants. The results of the study had indicated that there was a main effect relationship between department/team groups and job satisfaction. Other results of the study had found that satisfaction with the workplace layout was related to psychological wellbeing, job satisfaction, work engagement, and productivity. The results revealed that the higher the employees’ satisfaction with the workplace layout, the higher their psychological wellbeing, job satisfaction, work engagement and productivity. The qualitative component resulted in themes that were explored both theoretically and inductively. After analysis of the themes, four main themes were devised. Based on exploration of these themes it became apparent that satisfaction with one’s workplace can be contingent on factors such as, noise and distractions, privacy, operational technology (e.g. it software/hardware/systems and WIFI), functional and up-to-date technical equipment, facility accessibility, honouring of commitments/meeting expectations of the space, personal feelings and attitudes towards change and flexibility, time consumption of activities surrounding flexibility, storage facilities that are accessible, territorialism or sabotage, and interaction/communication.
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    Workplace productivity loss
    (2016) Dos Santos, Nadine.
    Linking health and productivity to organisational advantages, this study explores the benefits that health screening may provide organisations in South Africa. Health was evaluated in this research as the amount of lifestyle factors (physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and BMI) and biometric factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high glucose) employees were at risk for. The study aimed to investigate whether increased health leads to the experience of negative health consequences, which may negatively impact on productivity in the workplace. Productivity was assessed firstly by a person’s ability to be at work, and secondly by their ability to significantly contribute to their organisation while they were at work. As such, workplace productivity loss was evaluated in terms of the direct, and indirect, organisational costs that ill-health results in. Workplace productivity loss was measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health V2.0 (WPAI-GH). Participants were 409 employees from an organisation in the financial service sector (Mage = 41.86, SD = 9.3). Multiple regression analysis found one lifestyle factor (physical inactivity) and one biometric factor (cholesterol) to significantly predicted work productivity. Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI and blood pressure did not significantly predict workplace productivity loss. Significant relationships were found between physical inactivity and BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol. Alcohol consumption was significantly related to cigarette smoking and blood pressure, while BMI and blood pressure had a significant relationship. The findings contribute to knowledge on how workplace productivity can be promoted through healthy lifestyle behaviours and biometric risk factors. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed in terms of how organisations can design, implement and evaluate appropriate workplace programmes that are related to the specific health needs of their employees. This was positioned as an essential business practice that positively relates to organisational effectiveness by increasing workplace productivity. Keywords: workplace productivity loss, lifestyle risk factors, biometric risk factors, organisational advantage, South Africa
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