Physical Work Environment and Work Outcomes The Mediating role of Wellbeing

Abstract

The wellbeing of employees is one of the biggest concerns of employers today. newlineWellbeing has been accorded significant attention by organizational psychologists and has newlinebeen linked to several work outcomes, such as work engagement and retention. Most of newlinethe existing literature has focused on understanding the social factors associated with newlineemployee wellbeing. But there has not been much research on the relationship between newlinewellbeing and the physical work environment. newlineOffices or workspaces of the 21st century, in terms of their physical environment, newlinehave undergone significant changes from their earlier counterparts. Many of the changes newlinecan be attributed to the changing context of work and business. This refers to the gradual newlinetransition from the manufacturing or industrial economy to a service or newline knowledge-centered one; Remote working and working from home arrangements have newlinebecome very common, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. While design trends of newlineoffices keep changing, one thing that does not change is the impact that the office newlineenvironment has on employee health and wellbeing. Further, working from offices and newlineworking from home lead to different employee experiences. Hence, it is important to newlineexamine whether these two different employee experiences have any impact on positive newlinework outcomes. newlineEvidence from existing literature indicates that the physical work environment newlineenhances wellbeing and influences other desirable work outcomes. According to the Job newlineDemands-Resource theory when job demands are high, employees exert additional effort newlineto achieve their goals to prevent a decrease in performance and this may lead to negative outcomes like stress and burnout in the long run. Job resources may buffer the impact of newlinejob demands on stress reactions and stimulate personal growth and development. A newlineconducive physical environment includes resources like comfortable ambient conditions, newlineergonomic furniture, safe working conditions, high collaborative spaces, etc