Noisy offices make people more assertive about their territory
Lifestyles that have changed due to the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic are gradually returning to normal, and many people have returned from remote work to traditional office work. Crowded offices are full of noise such as coworkers' conversations, phone calls, and keyboard typing, but people who work in noisy offices feel stressed and become more assertive about their ``own territory.'' The research results have been announced.
An experience sampling study of employees' reactions to noise in the open-plan office - ScienceDirect
This desk is mine! How noisy offices can make us more territorial
https://theconversation.com/this-desk-is-mine-how-noisy-offices-can-make-us-more-territorial-210451
An open office layout with minimal desk partitions is a layout adopted by many companies as it promotes communication between employees. However, noises that occur in open offices, such as voices, footsteps, printer noises, telephone ringtones, and keyboard typing noises, have been reported to increase stress.
A new research team led by Ayoko Orelmi, an associate professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Queensland, conducted a study on 71 subjects working in areas of the university with varying levels of privacy. The participants kept a diary for 10 days, recording the level of noise they perceived at work and how they felt in the morning and afternoon. To measure their awareness of office noise, subjects were asked questions such as ``I am bothered by telephone noise'' and ``I am bothered by the noise of office machinery.'' It was evaluated on a seven-point scale.
In addition, to measure mood and behavior at work, subjects rated each of the following statements on a 7-point scale.
- I feel frustrated with what is happening around me at this moment.
-I feel angry about what is happening around me.
・I feel like withdrawing from my co-workers.
・I want to be alone at work.
- Experiencing disagreements with colleagues.
・Establish boundaries around the workspace.
・Decorate your workspace the way you like.
Next, the research team used statistical methods to analyze the relationship between noise in the office where each subject worked, negative emotions, and various behaviors. They found a moderate to strong statistical association between office noise and emotions such as frustration, anger, and anxiety.
Additionally, subjects who work in noisy offices are more likely to psychologically withdraw from work by taking longer breaks than allowed, spending more time on personal issues, or surfing the Internet. reported to be high. On the other hand, the relationship between office noise and the tendency to have conflicting opinions with co-workers on various issues was weak.
Furthermore, for each step higher in anger, frustration, and anxiety, participants were more than three times more likely to engage in territorial behavior, such as displaying potted plants or pictures around their desks at work. I understand too. This effect was strongest in workplaces with a low level of privacy, such as open offices, and was less noticeable in workplaces that are small and have a high level of privacy, such as single-person offices.
'Simply put, noisy workplaces are more likely to make workers feel bad, and over time we found that these negative emotions were associated with increased territoriality,' Ayoko said. states.
When people decorate their desks, it's not just a response to stress; sometimes they simply find it beautiful, or it reflects their identity.
Therefore, environments with open offices but with strict restrictions on bringing in personal items, and hot desks where the space must be tidyed up at the end of the day, offer employees easy ways to cope with psychological challenges. There is a possibility that he is denying it.
Ayoko says, ``We are emotional creatures and need a sense of uniqueness, self-identity, control, and belonging. This doesn't go away when we go to work. A sense of ownership is associated with increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment.'' Employers seeking to bring workers back to the office may find that employees are more likely to be unhappy in a noisy office. 'We need to balance that between becoming irritable, becoming frustrated, and being more likely to put up walls, both literally and figuratively.'
A forum related to this article has been set up on the GIGAZINE official Discord server. Anyone can write freely, so please feel free to comment!
• Discord | 'Are you doing anything to prevent noise in your office or work environment?' | GIGAZINE
https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1171015353040650260
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