Office Environment Index '88: A Poll of Workers,Executives,and Facility Managers on Life and Work in Today's Offices

Abstract

With the advent of the information age, increasing numbers of workers are now engaged in office work. There is much to learn about this new majority in the workforce, but few vehicles for gathering information. The Office Environment Index (OEI) is an on-going effort to address this informational need. Conducted by Lou Harris and Associates with the collaboration of Steelcase and several professional organizations, the OEI surveys office workers, their management, and others concerning issues which impact quality of work life and effectiveness. This latest survey included 1031 office workers, 150 facility managers, 150 executives, and 150 interior designers. The focus of this analysis is on job satisfaction and perceived productivity and the variables which influence them. In particular, the role of job characteristics, the environment, and computer usage were examined. The results indicate that people who judge themselves good performers tend also to be satisfied. However, not all those who judge themselves satisfied also judge themselves good performers. The variables examined tended to impact satisfaction more than productivity. Thus, it is felt that they impact performance indirectly via their role in satisfaction.