title: personality, engagement and the office environment ... · employee’s personality is...

Title: Personality, engagement and the office environment

Author: John Hackston

Affiliation: OPP Ltd

Abstract

Many workers are office-based, with open-plan offices the norm; hot-desking and

similar shared workspace arrangements are becoming increasingly common. Such

office layouts do not typically take into account the different personality preferences

of employees, and it has been suggested that such layouts may have a negative

impact on Introverts in particular. The purpose of the study was to explore

personality differences in attitudes to the office environment. As predicted, Extraverts

showed a significantly higher degree of both job satisfaction and happiness at work

than did Introverts in open-plan offices but not in other layouts, and those who were

allowed to personalise their workspace were more satisfied with their work

environment than those who were not (although here there was no significant

difference in job satisfaction or happiness at work). Other personality differences in

likes and dislikes in the office environment are also presented and discussed. The

findings are used to present recommendations for office design and layout in order to

best accommodate people of all personality types.

Keywords: workspace personality MBTI engagement office

1. Introduction

1.1. Overview

Despite the potential of technology to facilitate home working, many people are still

office workers, and open-plan office working is the norm. The adoption of open-plan

working may have been driven in part by a perception that such offices can facilitate

communication and diminish the negative effects of rigid hierarchies in organisations.

However, research suggests that these benefits, if indeed they exist, are outweighed

by the negative effects of the open-plan environment (Kim & de Dear, 2013), such as

noise levels, distraction, and lack of privacy. Nevertheless, open-plan offices

continue to increase in popularity in organisations, primarily for financial reasons

(Leach & Clegg, 2011).

Cost is also a driver of the move to ‘hot-desking’, where a worker no longer has their

own dedicated desk, but instead can use one of a number of desks, workstations or

areas that they share in common with other workers. Hot-desking and similar shared

workspace arrangements are becoming especially prevalent in areas where space is

expensive and at a premium; however they can reduce job satisfaction and worker

productivity (Bosch-Sijtsema et al, 2010). This may be because they have a negative

effect on an employee’s sense of security and of ownership of their ‘territory’; both

individuals and groups want to have ownership of that part of the workplace that is

‘theirs’ (Vischer, 2008). Other research (Wells, 2000) has posited a link between

personalisation of the work area and well-being, suggesting that the ability to

temporarily personalise a hot desk may increase resilience and ameliorate some of

the negative effects of shared workspace arrangements. By increasing worker

satisfaction, this may in turn increase productivity and have a positive impact on an

organisation’s bottom line (Zelenski et al, 2008).

In the past, a number of links have been made between personality and the working

environment. For example, Williams, Armstrong, & Malcolm (1985) discussed office

layout and allied factors in personality terms, and Salter (1995) ‘typed’ the

personality of the workplace. More recently, concerns have been raised about the

impact of the modern open-plan office environment on Introverts in particular,

claiming that they may be differentially effected by noise (Oseland, 2015), lack of

time alone and enforced interaction with others (Cain, 2012). This topic has however

received relatively little attention from I-O psychologists or other researchers, despite

the potential impact on the workforce.

1.2. Research aims and hypotheses

The purpose of this study was to investigate personality differences in attitudes to

the office environment, and use these to present practical recommendations for

change. The overall aims of the research were to:

Establish how individuals with different personality preferences differ in their likes

and dislikes to aspects of the office environment, and their attitudes to

personalisation of one’s workspace.

Investigate how these effects interact with satisfaction and happiness at work

Produce practical hints and tips to help organisations to develop better

workspaces, and individuals to adapt their workspace more effectively.

It was hypothesised that:

There would be differences between Extraverts and Introverts in terms of ideal

working environment, with the latter more likely to prefer private offices and

quieter working conditions.

Extraverts would in general tend to express greater levels of job satisfaction and

happiness at work, and this difference would be largest in the open-plan office

environments predicted to be the least congenial to Introverts. Previous research

(for example Diener et al, 1992) has suggested that Extraverts tend to express

greater levels of happiness and subjective well-being than Introverts, and we

expected to see this in this study. It has also been shown that when an

employee’s personality is matched with the nature of their work environment, they

are likely to report less anxiety and physical discomfort, and more job satisfaction

and social support, than those employees where there is a mismatch (Allread &

Marras, 2006). It was therefore predicted that the Extravert-Introvert difference

would be most noticeable for those working in more open-plan office

environments.

Individuals who were allowed to personalise their work area would show higher

levels of job satisfaction, happiness at work and satisfaction with their working

environment. Previous research (e.g. Wells et al, 2000) has suggested that those

who are able to personalise their work area are likely to have higher levels of

wellbeing. Other research has suggested that individuals have a wide range of

reasons for personalising their workplace (Byron & Laurence, 2015). We asked

respondents why they personalised their work area, and predicted a difference

between those with a personality preference for Thinking and those with a

personality preference for Feeling (see section 2 below for a description of the

personality measure used in this research).

There would be a number of differences in attitudes to the work environment, in

particular between Extraverts and Introverts and between those with a Judging

orientation and those with a Perceiving orientation. This latter personality

dichotomy, described in section 2 below, was predicted to be relevant as it

describes how an individual deals with their external environment.

By asking about features of the workplace in this way, we hoped to be able to

develop guidelines for making the office a congenial workspace for those of all

personality type

2. Methodology

Data was collected online from participants who had previously completed the MBTI®

questionnaire (Myers et al, 1998), and had feedback to help them decide on their

personality type. The MBTI model looks at four aspects of personality, as shown in

Table 1 below.

Table 1: The four dimensions of the MBTI model

Where do you get your energy from?

Extraversion (E)

Outside world of people and things or

Introversion (I)

Inner world of thought and reflection

What kind of information do you prefer to use?

Sensing (S)

Realistic, specific, factual or

Intuition (N)

Possibilities, connections, big picture

What process do you use to make decisions?

Thinking (T)

Logical, objective, impersonal reasoning or

Feeling (F)

Using values and seeking harmony

How do you deal with the world around you?

Judging (J)

Makes plans, structured, seeks closure or

Perceiving (P)

Flexible, spontaneous, unstructured

The questionnaire and associated feedback process allows the respondent to sort

themselves to one type within each dichotomy – E or I, S or N, T or F, and J or P.

These four areas are combined to describe an individual’s whole personality type;

there are, therefore, 16 possible types (ISTJ, ISFJ, INFJ, ISFJ, ISTP, ISFP, INFP,

INTP, ESTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, ESFJ, ESTP, ESFP, ENFP, and ENTP).

Likes and dislikes within the workspace, attitudes to personalisation and happiness

and job satisfaction were assessed by a survey developed for this research project.

The survey asked for demographic information and also included questions on:

The respondent’s preferred or ideal working environment and their actual working

environment.

Satisfaction and happiness at work and how this is affected by the work

environment.

Personalisation of the work area..

Likes and dislikes within the work environment.

The survey may be viewed online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/typeenviro.

311 people completed the survey. 71% were female; the average (mean) age was

47 years. Job level varied from employee up to executive or owner. The majority

(59%) worked principally in the UK, with 18% in the remainder of Europe, 17% in the

USA and 6% in the rest of the world.

3. Results

3.1. Preferred and actual working environment

Within the group as a whole, there were clear differences between respondents’

preferred or ideal working environment, and the environment that they actually

worked in. For example, a large number of people worked in a fully open-plan office,

but far fewer preferred to work in this environment; many people would prefer a

private office, but fewer had this opportunity. These differences are illustrated in

figure 1 below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/typeenviro

Figure 1: Actual and preferred offices

There were no statistically significant personality differences between respondents in

terms of the actual offices that they worked in, but there were in terms of their

preferred or ideal office. A much smaller percentage of Introverts than Extraverts

preferred open plan offices or a small shared office; Introverts were especially likely

to prefer a private office, and more likely than Extraverts to prefer a home office.

These differences are illustrated in figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Differences in office preference between Introverts and Extraverts

Chi square =

18.29, df=5,

sig=0.00

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Fully open plan

Open plan with

partitions or

cubicles

Office shared by 2-

6 people

Private office

Home office Other

Nu

mb

er

of

pe

op

le

Actual Preferred

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Fully open plan

Open plan with

partitions or

cubicles

Office shared by 2-6

people

Private office Home office Other

% of Extraverts % of Introverts

3.2. Satisfaction and happiness at work

Job satisfaction and happiness at work were measured in the survey by two

questions, both rated on a five-point scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly

agree”. As shown in table 2 below, Extraverts state that they have significantly higher

degree of job satisfaction and happiness at work than do Introverts, with a moderate

effect size.

Table 2: Extravert-Introvert differences in job satisfaction and happiness

Item Extravert

mean

Introvert

mean

Sig

(t-test)

Cohen d

I have a great deal of job satisfaction 4.15 3.90 0.01 0.30

I’m very happy at work 4.03 3.68 0.00 0.41

It was predicted that this difference would be most noticeable for those working in

more open-plan office environments. As shown in table 3 below, this was found to be

the case. Both job satisfaction and happiness at work were significantly higher for

Extraverts than Introverts in open-plan office environments, with moderate to large

effect sizes. For small shared offices, private offices or home offices, differences

between Extraverts and Introverts did not reach significance.

Table 3: Extravert-Introvert differences in job satisfaction and happiness for different

office environments

Office environment I have a great deal of job satisfaction

Extravert mean

Introvert mean

Sig (t-test)

Cohen d

Fully open plan office 4.13 3.66 0.01 0.58

Open plan with partitions or cubicles 4.32 3.47 0.00 1.19

Office shared by 2-6 people 4.12 3.80 NS (0.41)

Private office 4.00 4.05 NS (0.05)

Home office 4.18 4.40 NS (0.28)

Office environment I’m very happy at work

Extravert mean

Introvert mean

Sig (t-test)

Cohen d

Fully open plan office 3.98 3.40 0.00 0.76

Open plan with partitions or cubicles 4.18 3.33 0.00 1.17

Office shared by 2-6 people 3.94 3.65 NS (0.38)

Private office 3.88 3.75 NS (0.12)

Home office 4.03 4.21 NS (0.19)

3.3. Effects of workplace personalisation

Previous research (Wells, 2000) has suggested that there is a link between

personalisation and well-being. This was partially borne out by our research. Though

there was no significant difference in terms of job satisfaction or happiness at work,

those who were not allowed to personalise their work area were less satisfied with

their work environment, as shown in table 4 below:

Table 4: Personalisation and satisfaction with the work environment

Item Allowed to

personalise

Not allowed to

personalise

Sig

(t-test)

Cohen

d

How satisfied are you with your

office or work environment?

3.65 3.00 0.03 0.55

There were no personality differences in the total number of personal items, although

those with a Thinking preference were more likely to have no personal items at all.

Interestingly, there was a significant correlation (r=0.23. significant at the 1% level)

between number of personal items and satisfaction with the working environment for

those with a Thinking preference; this correlation did not exist for those with a

Feeling preference. It may be that those with a Thinking preference do not always

see the need to personalise their work area – but that when they do, and do so

comprehensively, they become more satisfied with their work environment.

As predicted, there were some personality Type differences in the reasons chosen

for personalisation:

Feeling Types were more likely than Thinking Types to choose “Because

someone else cared enough to give you the item(s)” and “To remind yourself of

who you really are”

SF individuals (ISFJ, ISFP, ESFJ, ESFP) were more likely than others to choose

“Because someone else cared enough to give you the item(s)”, “To show others

what sort of person you are” and “To show others what you have achieved”

Those with Dominant Extraverted Feeling (ESFJ, ENFJ) were the most likely to

choose “To make you feel at home”; Extraverted Thinkers (ESTJ, ENTJ) were

particularly unlikely to pick this reason.

The most common reasons for personalisation, each chosen by over 30% of

respondents, were “Because someone cared enough to give you the item(s)” and

“To remind you of your home and/or family”. This is shown in figure 3 overleaf.

3.4. Likes and dislikes in the work environment

Respondents were asked for their level of agreement with 24 statements about their

working environment, on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The

average (mean) rating for each question is shown in figure 4 overleaf.

Figure 3: Reasons for personalisation

Figure 4: Mean rating for each question

0 10 20 30 40

Other

Because you feel you ought to

To show others what you have achieved

To share a joke with others in the of f ice

To show others what sort of person you are

To make you feel at home

To remind yourself of who you really are

To remind you of your home and/or family

Because someone cared enough to give you the item(s)

Percentage choosing each reason

Reasons for personalising the work area

2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

It bothers me when someone has a bigger desk, a better location or a newer computer than I do

When I'm working at my computer, I'll often wear headphones

I don't mind hot-desking

I enjoy working with loud, extraverted people

I'm quite aware of the things that signify status in my office

I really like the idea of a 'clear desk' policy

I hate it when I have to move office, desk or location

I like working near my manager

I prefer it when my manager's desk is in a different part of the office

It annoys me when people have messy, cluttered desks

The design of objects at work, and how they look, is as important or almost as important as what they do

I find that I need lots of storage space

I'm happy where I am in my workplace; I wouldn't want to move to another part of the office

It gives me a buzz when we get great new gadgets in the office, things like a smart coffee machnine or a 3D printer

I enjoy working somewhere where there are lots of people

Having lots of people around distracts me from my work

At work, I don't like to sit still at my desk for too long

It's great when you work somewhere brightly painted, with lots of different colours and things to see and interact with

At work, I'm always on the go

For me, it is important that I am allowed to personalise my work area

I quite like a workplace that has something a bit quirky and different about it

It is important to me that there is a "quiet area" somewhere in the office

It is important that offices are well-designed and aethestically pleasing

It is important that I have my own desk and working area

Average Rating

Some features of the workplace were desired by almost everyone, such as having

one’s own desk and working area, having well-designed workplaces and having

‘quiet areas’ available. Others, such as desk-sharing or hot-desking, were disliked by

most people.

Other features of the workplace showed personality differences, most clearly

between Extraverts and Introverts and between those with a Judging and a

Perceiving preference. The questions showing a statistically significant difference

between each type dichotomy are shown in figures 5 to 8 below,

Figure 5: E-I differences in attitudes to the office environment

Although there are differences in degree, both Extraverts and Introverts want their

own desk and working area, which they can personalise; both like the idea of having

a “quiet area” in the office, and neither are particularly keen on hot-desking (although

Introverts have a greater dislike of this). However Extraverts are much less keen on

sitting still at their desk and Introverts much more likely to be distracted by having

2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5




I'm happy where I am in my workplace; I wouldn't want to move to another part of the …


Having lots of people around distracts me from my work


It's great when you work somewhere brightly painted, with lots of different colours and …

At work, I'm always on the go


It is important to me that there is a "quiet area" somewhere in the office


E I

lots of people around. Indeed Extraverts enjoy working somewhere where there are

lots of people around and don’t mind working with loud, Extraverted people;

Introverts don’t particularly enjoy the former and positively dislike the latter.

Figure 6: S-N differences in attitudes to the office environment

There are fewer S-N differences; those that do exist largely reflect the Intuitive

preference for the new and different.

Figure 7: T-F differences in attitudes to the office environment

For T-F, many of the results seem to reflect a greater appreciation of the aesthetics

of the workplace on behalf of those with a Feeling preference.

2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5


It gives me a buzz when we get great new gadgets in the office, things like a smart coffee …


S N

2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

I prefer it when my manager's desk is in a different part of the office

The design of objects at work, and how they look, is as importamt or almost as important as what …




It is important that offices are well-designed and aethestically pleasing

T F

Figure 8: J-P differences in attitudes to the office environment

The Judging-Perceiving dichotomy also shows a number of statistically significant

differences. As with Extraversion and Introversion, some of these are differences of

degree. For example, both Types think it is important to have their own desk or

working area, and neither like hot-desking, though those with a Judging preference

are particularly keen on the former and particularly down on the latter. More stark

differences are however seen in views around tidiness in the office. People with a

Perceiving preference are not keen on the idea of a ‘clear desk policy’, while those

with a Judging preference are ambivalent; Perceivers are not annoyed when people

have messy, cluttered desks, where Judgers typically are.

3.5. Type-specific likes and dislikes

MBTI practitioners will often use the concept of an individual’s dominant function in

interpreting MBTI results and using psychological Type. This dominant function acts

as the core of an individual’s personality (Myers and Kirby, 2000). The results of the

survey demonstrated that each of these dominant functions had their particular likes

2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5


I really like the idea of a 'clear desk' policy


It annoys me when people have messy, cluttered desks






J P

and dislikes when in terms of the work environment. These findings will be useful to

MBTI practitioners.

Introverted Sensing (ISTJ, ISFJ):

In general, Introverted Sensing people particularly dislike having to move office,

desk or location

Not particularly impressed by having new gadgets in the office

Don’t mind having to sit still at their desk

Particularly dislike the idea of ‘hot-desking’

More likely than most to need lots of storage space

Particularly unlikely to want to move to another part of the office.

Extraverted Sensing (ESTP, ESFP):

This group reports being the least likely to be distracted by having lots of people

around; indeed they really enjoy working somewhere where there are lots of

people

Enjoy working with loud, Extraverted people

Not overly concerned with having to move office, desk or location

Dislike having to sit still at their desk for too long

More likely than most to report always being on the go.

Introverted iNtuition (INFJ, INTJ):

Together with Introverted Feelers, the most likely to be distracted by having lots

of people around. They also don’t enjoy working somewhere where there are lots

of people.

Particularly dislike working with loud, extraverted people

Enjoy having new gadgets in the office

Especially keen that there is a ‘quiet area’ somewhere in the office

Particularly unlikely to want to move to another part of the office.

Extraverted iNtuition (ENTP, ENFP):

More likely than most to need lots of storage space

Particularly keen on a workplace that has something a bit quirky and different

about it.

Introverted Thinking (ISTP, INTP):

Introverted Thinkers are the least likely to be annoyed when people have messy,

cluttered desks, and if their own desk can be described in this way, may struggle

to see what others are concerned with. They particularly dislike the idea of a

‘clear desk’ policy.

Introverted Thinkers also see it as particularly important that they have their own

desk and working area

Don’t mind having to sit still at their desk

Especially keen that there is a ‘quiet area’ somewhere in the office

Less likely than most to need lots of storage space.

Extraverted Thinking (ESTJ, ENTJ):

Less concerned than most with having their own desk and working area

More likely than most to report always being on the go

Enjoy working with loud, Extraverted people.

Introverted Feeling (ISFP, INFP):

Introverted Feelers are especially likely to think that it is important that they are

allowed to personalise their work area – and are likely to become demotivated if

this is not the case. On average, they have eight personal items in their

workspace. Extraverted Thinking or Introverted Sensing colleagues or managers

may not appreciate how important this is to these individuals.

Together with Introverted iNtuitives, the most likely to be distracted by having lots

of people around. They also don’t enjoy working somewhere where there are lots

of people.

Dislike working with loud, Extraverted people

Not particularly impressed by having new gadgets in the office

Especially keen that there is a ’quiet area’ somewhere in the office.

Extraverted Feeling (ESFJ, ENFJ):

Feel that it is particularly important for them to have their own desk and working

area

Enjoy having new gadgets in the office

Particularly dislike the idea of ‘hot-desking’.

4. Conclusions and implications for practice

4.1. Introverts in the modern office

One of the findings of the survey was that in general, Extraverts reported significantly

higher levels of job satisfaction and happiness at work than did Introverts. 85% of

Extraverts, but only 73% of Introverts, agree or strongly agree with the statement “I

have a great deal of job satisfaction”; 81% of Extraverts, but only 61% of Introverts,

agree or strongly agree with “I’m very happy at work”. Introverts were also more

likely than Extraverts to disagree with both statements. This may be in part because

of the nature of the office environment; it has been suggested that the modern office

is “designed for Extraverts” (Cain, 2012). Indeed many of the trends in the design of

the modern office, while not always moving towards the preferences of Extraverts,

seem to be moving away from the preferences of Introverts. For example, open-plan

offices are common, and as office space gets more expensive, they are becoming

even more so. While open-plan offices are not especially popular with Extraverts,

they are much less popular with Introverts. Open-plan offices can also mean that lots

of people are around, and this may be less enjoyable for Introverts, especially those

sitting near a watercooler or other focal point for conversation. Hot-desking and desk

sharing is also becoming more common, and while this is not popular with Extraverts

it is much less popular with Introverts. Our research suggests that those with a

personality preference for Introverted Sensing (ISTJ, ISFJ), who make up over a

quarter of the UK working-age population (OPP 2011) particularly dislike hot-

desking. These trends are summarised in table 5 below:

Table 5: Office design trends and Extraversion-Introversion

Trend Extraversion-Introversion

More open-plan offices Not popular with either Extraverts or Introverts, but

especially unpopular with Introverts

Lots of people around (as a

consequence of open- plan

offices)

More distracting for Introverts, especially if those

people who are there act in a loud, Extraverted way.

More hot-desking and desk-

sharing

Not popular with either Extraverts or Introverts, but

much less popular with Introverts, particularly for

those with an Introverted Sensing preference.

Not having one’s own desk or

workspace area; having to

move location in the office

Introverts dislike this; Extraverts are more ambivalent

By creating a workplace that is arguably less conducive to job satisfaction and

happiness at work amongst Introverts, organisations risk demotivating a significant

part of the workforce. There are, however, a number of things that organisations can

do to counteract the negative effects of the modern workplace on Introverts. These

have been included in the recommendations in sections 4.3 and 4.4 below.

4.2. Other personality factors

There are a number of differences in likes and dislikes between those with a Sensing

preference and those with an Intuitive preference, and between those with a

Thinking preference and those with a Feeling preference. However these are largely

a matter of degree. For example, while those with a Feeling preference will tend to

agree with the statement “For me, it is important that I am allowed to personalise my

work area”, so will those with a Thinking preference, albeit less strongly. Some larger

personality differences are however found with the Judging - Perceiving dichotomy.

On the statements “It annoys me when people have messy, cluttered desks”, “I hate

it when I have to move office, desk or location” and “I really like the idea of a ‘clear

desk’ policy”, those with a Judging preference will tend to agree or be ambivalent,

while those with a Perceiving preference will tend to disagree. In order to avoid

demotivating or antagonising one or the other group, organisations will need to be

sensitive in introducing clear desk policies, hot-desking or office reorganisations.

4.3. Type-specific recommendations

For those who have completed the MBTI questionnaire and know their personality

type, the results of this study can be used to develop tailored recommendations.

These are shown in table 6 below.

Table 6: Type-specific recommendations

MBTI type Recommendations

Introverted Sensing If possible, avoid hot-desking; allocate a conventional

workspace that they can keep tidy, with plenty of storage

such as filing cabinets and trays to help them order and

record their work. Allow them to use walls and furniture to

create their own defined area of the office. Avoid relocating

them where possible.

Extraverted Sensing Extraverted Sensors enjoy interacting with others to get

tasks done with as much fun as possible. They will want an

environment where they do not have to stay at their desk,

preferring to get up and go to where the action is; if possible,

locate them where there are lots of people around.

Introverted Intuition These types will value workspaces that give them the

opportunity to reflect and allow ideas to form in their heads;

they typically enjoy gadgets and may use intriguing objects

to inspire original thinking. They will not appreciate others in

the office being loud and distracting and are likely to

gravitate towards a quiet area in the office to think if they

can’t find this at their desk.

Extraverted Intuition Enjoy the opportunity to bounce ideas and possibilities off

others and will love workspaces that enable them to

brainstorm, perhaps using flipcharts or whiteboards. They

also like an environment that is a little quirky or different;

bright colours and an interesting or unusual design will hold

particular appeal. Provide them with plenty of storage space.

Introverted Thinking Introverted thinkers like to have their own desk or work area

but are likely to be unfazed by the close proximity of others.

Their workspace may appear cluttered or untidy, but this is

typically organised chaos and they are likely to be

particularly resistant to the idea of a clear desk policy.

Ensure that there are ‘quiet areas’ available in the office.

Extraverted Thinking This group like to be in charge, organise others, and make

things happen, They will look for clear pathways to allow

them to get around the office, and meetings spaces where

they can gather and talk to their staff. They do not

necessarily need their own desk or working area.

Introverted Feeling Although caring and compassionate, these personality types

usually like to work alone but will surround themselves with a

collection of personal items. If they cannot personalise their

work area they may become demotivated. Provide partitions,

not only to keep the noise and distraction of others at a

distance, but also to provide a surface on which to keep the

special items that mean something to them personally.

Extraverted Feeling Supportive and friendly, they love to have colleagues around

and enjoy interaction, so they may not care for partitions or

cubicles. They value the ability to personalise their

workspace and may seek to encourage others to stop by for

a chat.

4.4. General recommendations for a better workplace

Different personality Types have different likes and dislikes. However, this research

suggests that there are several factors that generally may lead to greater satisfaction

with the working environment, as well as greater satisfaction with the job and greater

happiness at work. These factors will either act in a positive way for everyone, or be

positive for some Types and neutral for others. Some factors are outside an

organisation’s control; for example, in our study older respondents tended to be

more satisfied with their job. However, it is possible to compile a checklist of

environmental improvements:

Many organisations have open-plan offices; this may be because of a belief that

open-plan offices encourage greater communication, or because open-plan

offices are seen as a more efficient or less expensive use of resources. However,

in our study, those working in open-plan offices were among the least satisfied

with their work environment. Introverts in particular did lot like the idea of an

open-plan office. The data suggest that where possible, organisations should

move away from open-plan offices; small shared offices may be the best solution.

Often it may not be feasible to move away from an open-plan environment, but it

may still be possible to give the ‘feel’ of a small shared office, creating the illusion

of smallness and intimacy by careful attention to design and layout.

Organisations may create ‘neighbourhoods’ within open-plan offices using

partition panels, booths or storage. This may give the feel of smaller, more

intimate work zones and prevent large, noisy groups from overwhelming any one

area. Acoustic panels on storage units, walls and ceilings will also help to

mitigate against distracting noise in large open-plan layouts.

If possible, allow people to have their own desk or workspace in the office.

Although particularly important for those with an Introverted or Judging

personality preference, this is high on most people’s list of desirable workplace

features. Similarly, avoid ‘hot-desking’, if at all possible. Where it is really

unavoidable, provide mobile storage solutions to enable people to quickly and

easily establish a productive workspace anywhere in the office.

Let people personalise their work area. Those who are not allowed to do this are

less satisfied with their work environment and report less job satisfaction. Where

there is a clear desk policy and/or hot-desking, provide personal storage so that

people can keep personal items around them but easily clear them away at the

end of the day.

Have ‘quiet areas’ in the workplace. Even Extraverts think that this is a useful

feature. It is important to remember that ‘quiet’ does not necessarily mean

‘private’; small meeting rooms, breakout booths and informal seating areas can

all be useful. Ensure that these areas can legitimately be used as individual quiet

spaces and are not just reserved for use as ‘meeting rooms’.

Create areas where Extraverts can behave in a loud, extraverted way without

distracting Introverts. Look at the way that ‘traffic’ moves around the office and

place these spaces in the areas where people will gravitate to.

Pay attention to the appearance and aesthetics of the workplace. Although this is

more important to some personality types than others, for many it does relate to

satisfaction with the work environment and the job.

4.5. Looking to the future; HR and Facilities working together

In many organisations, issues such as staff motivation and psychological wellbeing

have historically been seen as the responsibility of Human Resources, while the

physical layout of the office has been seen as the responsibility of Facilities

Management. This has meant that the office environment and layout has to at least

some extent catered for the physical wellbeing of employees, but has not necessarily

paid attention to their psychological wellbeing. This study demonstrates that the

physical environment of the office does have an effect on job satisfaction and

happiness at work, and that the features of the office that relate to this may operate

differentially for people of different personality types. There is therefore a need for

the ‘people people’ and the ‘facilities people’ in organisations to work together to

promote a healthier workplace. There are now signs that this is beginning to take

place, for example with the joint publication in 2015 by the British Institute of

Facilities Management (BIFM) and the CIPD of the ‘Workplace Conversation’.

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