Physical Work Environment Satisfaction and Productivity of Working Adults in Malaysia

Stephanie Kok Sook Munn, Alia Azalea

Abstract


Studies have established that satisfaction with the physical work environment has an impact on individual productivity. This study investigated the influence of physical work environment satisfaction (including environmental design, welfare facilities, work organization, equipment and tools, and health and safety) on the productivity of Malaysian employees post-pandemic, as they gradually return to physical workplaces. A total of 253 working adults (135 males, 118 females, mean age = 39.00 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. The results supported the hypotheses that environmental design, welfare facilities, work organization, equipment and tools, and health and safety collectively predict employees' productivity. These findings emphasize the importance for organizations to consistently maintain satisfaction with the physical work environment in order to enhance employee productivity.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdulkhaliq, S. S., & Mohammadali, Z. M. (2019). The impact of job satisfaction on employees' performance: A case study of Al Hayat Company-Pepsi Employees in Erbil, Kurdistan Region-Iraq. Management and Economics Review, 4(2), 163-176. https://doi.org/10.24818/mer/2019.12-07

Afrianty, T. W., Artatanaya, I. G., & Burgess, J. (2022). Working from home effectiveness during Covid-19: Evidence from university staff in Indonesia. Asia Pacific Management Review, 27(1), 50-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2021.05.002

Alam, M. N., Hassan, M. M., Bowyer, D., & Reaz, M. (2020). The effects of wages and welfare facilities on employee productivity: Mediating role of employee work motivation. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 14(4), 38-60.

https://doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v14i4.4

Asere, L., & Blumberga, A. (2018). Energy efficiency–indoor air quality dilemma in public buildings. Energy Procedia, 147, 445-451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2018.07.115

Bakas, D., Kostis, P., & Petrakis, P. (2020). Culture and labour productivity: An empirical investigation. Economic Modelling, 85, 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2019.05.020

Bauer, A. (2020). Pride and productivity: post occupancy evaluation of the healing office design concept. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 22(4), 313-340. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-02-2019-0012.

Budhathoki, N. K., & Zander, K. K. (2019). Socio-economic impact of and adaptation to extreme heat and cold of farmers in the food bowl of Nepal. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(9), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16091578

Budie, B., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Kemperman, A., & Weijs-Perree, M. (2019). Employee satisfaction with the physical work environment: the importance of a need based approach. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 23(1), 36-49. https://doi.org/10.3846/ijspm.2019.6372

Carlopio, J. R. (1996). Construct validity of a physical work environment satisfaction questionnaire. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1(3), 330-344. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.1.3.330

de Menezes, F. S., & de Paula Xavier, A. A. (2018). Development, Validation, and Reliability Testing of the Brief Instrument to Assess Workers Productivity during a Working Day (IAPT). Revista Brasileira de Gestão de Negócios, 20(2), 232–247. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v20i2.3764

Gurmu, A. T. (2019). Identifying and prioritizing safety practices affecting construction labour productivity: An empirical study. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68(8), 1457–1474. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-10-2018-0349

Haapakangas, A., Hallman, D. M., Mathiassen, S. E., & Jahncke, H. (2018). Self-rated productivity and employee well-being in activity-based offices: The role of environmental perceptions and workspace use. Building and Environment, 145, 115-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.09.017

Habidin, N. F., Hashim, S., Fuzi, N. M., & Salleh, M. I. (2018). Total productive maintenance, kaizen event, and performance. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 35(9), 1853–1867. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-11-2017-0234

Hafeez, I., Yingjun, Z., Hafeez, S., Mansoor, R., & Rehman, K. U. (2019). Impact of Workplace Environment on Employee Performance: Mediating Role of Employee Health. Business, Management and Education, 17(2), 173-193. https://doi.org/10.3846/bme.2019.10379

Health and Safety Executive. (n.d.). Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). Retrieved January 1, 2021, from https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/puwer.htm

International Labour Organization and United Nations Global Compact. (2021). Nine Business Practices for Improving Safety and Health through Supply Chains and Building a Culture of Prevention and Protection. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_821481.pdf

Irawan, D. A., & Sari, P. (2021). Employee productivity: The effect of flexible work arrangement, indoor air quality, location and amenities at one of multinational logistics providers in Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 729(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/729/1/012126

Islam, M. A., Jantan, A. H., Aldaihani, F. M. F., Rahman, M. A., Khan, A. M., Shahin, S., & Alam, M. N. (2018). Impact of Empowerment, Flexibility and Trust on Women’s Access to Senior Positions in RMG Industry of Bangladesh. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 22(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3416065

Javaid, M., Haleem, A., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Substantial capabilities of robotics in enhancing industry 4.0 implementation. Cognitive Robotics, 1, 58-75.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogr.2021.06.001

Katz, A. S., Pronk, N. P., McLellan, D., Dennerlein, J., & Katz, J. N. (2019). Perceived Workplace Health and Safety Climates: Associations with Worker Outcomes and Productivity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 57(4), 487–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.05.013

Kigen, O.K., Kaluli, J.W., & Winja, M. (2022). Effects of materials, tools and equipment on labour productivity in reinforced Concrete construction works in Kenya. A case study of construction projects in Nairobi county. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, 11(8), 195-201. https://www.ijert.org/effects-of-materials-tools-and-equipment-on-labour-productivity-in-reinforced-concrete-construction-works-in-kenya-a-case-study-of-construction-projects-in-nairobi-county

Kim, D.K., & Park, S. (2021). An analysis of the effects of occupational accidents on corporate management performance. Safety Science, 138, 105228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105228

Konstantzos, I., Sadeghi, S. A., Kim, M., Xiong, J., & Tzempelikos, A. (2020). The effect of lighting environment on task performance in buildings–A review. Energy and Buildings, 226, 110394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110394

Lu, M., Hu, S., Mao, Z., Liang, P., Xin, S. and Guan, H. (2020). Research on work efficiency and light comfort based on EEG evaluation method. Building and Environment, 183, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107122.

Mahidin, M. U. (2021, July 22). Big Data Analytics: National Occupational Accident Statistics 2020. Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=492&bul_id=czB6elhvaWtoVmgwVktXUGJqRElLZz09&menu_id=WjJGK0Z5bTk1ZElVT09yUW1tRG41Zz09

Morgan, M. O., Emu, W., Amadi, C., Okon, E., & Njama, P. (2021). The mediating effect of job satisfaction on health and safety policy management and employee productivity in manufacturing firms. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(2), 104–117. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(2).2021.09

Nabawanuka, H., & Ekmekcioglu, E. B. (2022). Millennials in the workplace: perceived supervisor support, work–life balance and employee well–being. Industrial and Commercial Training, 54(1), 123-144. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-05-2021-0041

Nzuva, S. M., & Kimanzi, P. M. (2022). The Impact of Organisational Culture on Employees' Productivity: A Comprehensive Systematic Review. European Journal of Business and Management, 14(4), 42-55. https://doi.org/10.7176/ejbm/14-4-05

Olcay, Z. F., Temur, S., & Sakalli, A. E. (2021). A Research on the Knowledge Level and Safety Culture of Students Taking Occupational Health and Safety Course. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 16(1), 187-200. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v16i1.5519.

Patro, C. S. (2015). Employee Welfare Measures in Public and Private Sectors. International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering and Technology, 6(1), 22–36. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijssmet.2015010102

Samani, S. A., Eskandari, A., Zadeh, F. O., & Samani, J. E. (2018). The impact of environmental design on employee performance at PNPI Group. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 37(2), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.21841

Schaufeli, W. B. (2017). Applying the Job Demands-Resources model: A ‘how to’ guide to measuring and tackling work engagement and

burnout. Organizational Dynamics, 46(2), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.04.008

Šenitková, I. J. (2020). Perceived Air Quality and Productivity in the Office Building. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 960(4), 42088. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/960/4/042088

Shamsi, M., Iakovleva, T., Olsen, E., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2021). Employees' Work-Related Well-Being during COVID-19 Pandemic: An

Integrated Perspective of Technology Acceptance Model and JD-R Theory. International Journal of Environmental Research

and Public Health, 18(22), 11888.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182211888

Van der Voordt, T. J. (2004). Productivity and employee satisfaction in flexible workplaces. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 6(2), 133–148. https://doi.org/10.1108/14630010410812306

Van der Voordt, T., & Jensen, P.A. (2021). The impact of healthy workplaces on employee satisfaction, productivity and costs. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 25(1), 29-49. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-03-2021-0012

Wargocki, P. (2019). Productivity and health effects of high indoor air quality. Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (2nd edition), 5, 382-388. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.01993-X.

Wu, H., & Chen, Y. (2020). The Impact of Work from Home (WFH) on Workload and Productivity in Terms of Different Tasks and Occupations. In Stephanidis, C., Salvendy, G., Wei, J., Yamamoto, S., Mori, H., Meiselwitz, G., Nah, F. F.-H., & Siau, K. (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science: Vol. 12427. HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Papers (pp. 693–706). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60152-2_52

Zerbe, W. J., & Paulhus, D. L. (1987). Socially desirable responding in organizational behavior: A reconception. Academy of Management Review, 12(2), 250-264. https://doi.org/10.2307/258533

Zubair, M., Maqsood, S., Habib, T., Usman, J. Q. M., Nadir, U., Waseem, M., & Yaseen, Q.M. (2021). Manufacturing productivity analysis by applying overall equipment effectiveness metric in a pharmaceutical industry. Cogent Engineering, 8(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2021.1953681


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


DISCLAIMER

The editors and publisher of Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia have made every possible effort to verify the accuracy of all information contained in this publication. Any opinions, discussions, views and recommendations expressed in the article are solely those of the authors and are not of Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia, its editors or its publisher. Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia, its editors and its publisher will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising therefrom.