Office Productivity: Contributions of the Physical Setting.

This study investigated the effect of ergonomically-suited, task-oriented workstations on employee productivity and satisfaction, and analyzed the costs and benefits of providing new state-of-the-art office furniture. Facility managers can use the information in this report when appraising work environments. A new workstation design and arrangement was composed for two work sections at the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Construction Supply Center DCSC, Columbus, OH, using two different types of furniture systems furniture components attached to partitionspanels, and conventional General Services Administration GSA furniture. A productivity index, derived from archival performance data, and employee satisfaction ratings were compared before and after furniture installation. Results from the group receiving systems furniture showed that environmental improvement has a significant positive impact on both productivity and satisfaction. Amortization of the cost of providing a workstation equipped with systems furniture, when space savings and increased productivity were considered, was computed to be 10.8 months.