Purpose:The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) recommends researchers to investigate a widevariety of behavioural and health outcomes. However, researchers often investigate only a part of occupationalhealth (OH) in relation to light. A literature study (2002–2017) regarding the relationship between office lightingconditions and OH was performed to identify gaps and methodological issues.Method:The OH outcomes investigated in this paper were grouped according to the International Classificationof Diseases and analysed per category: physical and physiological health, mental health, eye health, sleep param-eters and visual comfort.Results:Findings from the literature study (20 eligible papers) showed that all OH aspects were mostly but notexclusively measured subjectively. Furthermore, most studies investigated only a fraction of office lighting par-ameters and OH aspects.Conclusions:It seems that Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and illuminance mainly correlate with OH.However, this may also be explained by gaps and methodological issues in studies described in eligible papers.Based on the literature study, an overview was composed elucidating gaps and methodological issues of officelighting and OH studies. It can be used to design and target the purpose of light and health research.
Eating healthier at work can substantially promote health and well-being among knowledge workers. However, little has been investigated on designing digital tools and interventions specialized in improving workday eating routines. This paper presents a user-centered contextual inquiry based on mixed-methods with an online questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. This study aimed to understand knowledge workers’ eating experiences and identify design opportunities and application strategies of digital tools to improve current practices. The questionnaire feedback from 54 Dutch knowledge workers revealed that their concerns over productivity, health and nutrition, energy support, and well-being could be decisive in shaping their eating routines at work. Furthermore, the results of 12 interview sessions suggested a set of expected digital features to encourage healthy eating at work, including health knowledge access, goal setting and self-tracking, technology-assisted health programs, and social support. Additionally, our findings also indicated that these digital features should be integrated into the office setting to offer personalized feedback and contextualized health interventions. Based on these findings, we derive design opportunities for workplace digital tools to promote healthy eating and discuss their potential contributions and future work to improved office vitality.
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Purpose: This paper aims to define the influence of the physical and social dimensions of the work environment on knowledge productivity of academics in Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences.Design/methodology/approach: Literature review; a multiple case study based on literature review (6 cases); a survey (n=188).Findings: Knowledge workers share two basic needs: their productivity requires isolation (internalization of knowledge) and interaction (externalization of knowledge), supported by different spatial concepts. None of the work environments involved in the study adequately support all of the phases in the knowledge development process adequately. Collective productivity is primarily determined by the physical dimension of the workplace; whereas the social dimension is crucial for personal productivity. Social interaction has a stronger effect than distraction; and the layout has a stronger effect than comfort.Conclusions - A high performance workplace supports both externalization and internalization of knowledge, allowing group members to collaborate and communicate according to need. More traditional work environments support internalization; innovative workplace designs (the office as meeting place) are more suited to support interaction and collaboration. Discover why freedom of choice is the key.Recommendations - Academics should be allowed to choose as to how, where and when they work and involved during the development of new concepts.Paper type: Research paper
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Many companies struggle with their workplace strategy and corporate real-estate strategy, especially when they have a high percentage of knowledge workers. How to balance employee satisfaction and productivity with the cost of offices.This project focused on developing methods and tools to design customer journeys and predict the impact of investments and changes on user satisfaction with the work environment. The tools, including a game and simulation tool, allowed to focus on the needs of particular subgroups of employees while at the same time keeping an overview on the satisfaction and perceived productivity of all employees and guests. We applied Quality Function Deployment techniques to understand how needs of different types of users of (activity-based) office environments can catered for in smart customer-centric office design.
The Healthy Workplace monitor is being developed to monitor the health and well-being of knowledge workers in relation to the office space and their home workplace. Since the corona period, a lot has changed in the way knowledge workers work. Both offices and employees require more flexibility to carry out work in an efficient but also healthy and enjoyable way. It is important to identify office workers needs with regard to workspaces at the office and at home from a holistic view, in which mental , physical and social aspects play a role. A vital, happy employee is a productive employee.
Vind jij het ook een uitdaging om onderwijsinnovaties om te zetten tot veranderingen in de onderwijspraktijk? Wil je niet alleen beter begrijpen wat onderwijsinnovatie zo moeilijk maakt, maar ook samen op zoek gaan naar oplossingen? Kom dan naar de innovatiewerkplaats, een project van lectoraat Organiseren van Verandering in Onderwijs en het Teaching and Learning Network. Open voor alle onderwijsprofessionals (binnen en buiten de HU).
