The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way employees work. Organisations have been forced to pivot and rapidly adapt to alternative modes of work, including teleworking and working from home. Some workers have enjoyed the increased flexibility, while many others are feeling isolated and disconnected from their team and organisation. As workers are (where possible) returning to the office, the changes in work practices have highlighted the need to reconsider the role of the physical workspace. The current research is focused on understanding the impact of workspaces on employees’ experiences of belonging and connection in the workplace, as well as the subsequent consequences this has on work-related attitudes (e.g., work engagement, job satisfaction). This presentation includes two studies: Study 1 is an exploratory mixed methods survey study examining subjective ratings of workspace compatibility and study 2 is a diary study examining the impact of compatible workspaces over time. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of how to optimise, leverage, and create inclusive workspaces and to address the challenges of the new working world.

Organisations have had to rapidly adapt to new modes of work, which has seen a greater move to telework and work-from-home. As organisations look to decrease their physical footprint in favour of teleworking, it is a critical time to understand the consequences of this change. To do so, this research explores the impact of workspaces on employees’ daily experience and consequences on job outcomes. Attendees will learn about and develop a better understanding of how different types of workspaces impact employees. Attendees will gain a more nuanced understanding of where and how employees experience compatibility, and how experiences of compatibility impact key job outcomes such as work engagement, emotions in the workplace, feelings of belonging and job satisfaction. Attendees can take the key learnings from this presentation and apply them to and help inform, better workplace design for productivity, engagement and inclusion.

Luong, Mischel; Peters, K; von Hippel, Courtney.