Towards a holistic approach for assessing the impact of IEQ on satisfaction, health, and productivity

While there is broad evidence of the impact of tangible factors (i.e. room temperature, indoor air quality) on work well-being and productivity, the objective measurement of intangible factors (i.e. ergonomics and privacy) is still an under-researched subject. A holistic approach to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has been developed in this study by combining the research dimensions of IEQ factors (tangible vs. intangible), outcome (workplace satisfaction, health, productivity), method (subjective vs. objective assessment) and impact (direct vs. indirect effects), and it has been tested in a laboratory (n = 180). The main findings are that (i) workplace satisfaction, health and productivity are more strongly affected by intangible factors than by tangible ones, (ii) impaired privacy leads to sick building symptoms and less creativity, (iii) negative self-assessment impairs objective performance in the form of a self-fulfilling prophecy, while (iv) personality traits correlate differently with ergonomics and privacy. Hence, a holistic IEQ approach that also considers interrelations between the research dimensions is beneficial for creating supportive workplace designs.