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Perceived fit and user behavior in activity-based work environments

While activity-based working is gaining popularity worldwide, research shows that workers frequently experience a misfit between the task at hand and their work setting. In the current study, experience sampling data were used to examine how perceived fit in activity-based work environments is related to user behavior (i.e., the use of work settings and setting-switching). We found that workers’ perceived fit was higher when they used closed rather than open work settings for individual high-concentration work. Furthermore, more frequent setting-switching was related to higher perceived fit. Unexpectedly, however, this relation was observed only among workers low in activity-switching. These findings indicate that user behavior may indeed be relevant to creating fit in activity-based work environments. To optimize workers’ perceived fit, it seems to be particularly important to facilitate and stimulate the use of closed work settings for individual high-concentration work.

On Workers’ Fit with Activity-Based Work Environments

Due to the rise of knowledge work since the 1980s, high job autonomy and high task variety have become common job characteristics. Knowledge workers increasingly work across multiple locations, using advanced information and communication technologies; a trend that is expected to accelerate in the post-COVID-19 world of work. As these developments fundamentally change the use of office work environments, organizations and workplace professionals have been searching for new ways to facilitate the workforce more effectively and efficiently. In the past two decades, more and more of them seem to have found the ultimate solution in activity-based working (ABW). According to this concept, workers share a variety of non-assigned work settings, enabling them to use different work settings in accordance with their varying tasks. Yet, outcomes of AWB environments generally fall short of expectations. Remarkably, while sharing the same ABW environment, some workers seem to experience fit while others do not.Optimization of perceived fit with ABW environments is important fororganizations, since it is linked to various work outcomes. Currently, this isparticularly relevant in the context of expected post-COVID-19 changes in workpractices. To find clues for optimization of ABW practice, the current PhD research project was designed to examine how workers’ jobs, tasks, behaviors, psychological needs, and demographic characteristics may be related to their perceived fit. Two survey-based studies revealed relevant workers’ attributes, which were further examined in experience-sampling field studies and a virtual reality experiment. From the findings, a clear profile arises of workers who best fit with ABW environments, i.e.: high task variety, job autonomy, external and internal mobility, social interaction, and need for relatedness; low need for privacy; few highcomplexity tasks, many non-individual tasks; appropriately using open and closed work settings; frequently switching between work settings; relatively young age.

Co-fit

Praktische aanbevelingen op basis van bevindingen uit systematisch literatuuronderzoek bij de Covid-19 en vergelijkbare virusuitbraken en interviews met experts en ervaringsdeskundigen.

Ontwikkeling van een online instrument voor studieloopbaanbegeleiding

Het Studieloopbaanbegeleidingsinstrument Master Ecologische Pedagogiek (SLB-MEP) is een web-based zelfassessment voor (potentiële) studenten, dat de mate van overeenstemming tussen opleidingswaarden en studentvoorkeuren inventariseert. Het instrument biedt de mogelijkheid om de keuzeprocessen van studenten en de studieloopbaanbegeleiding op afstand te ondersteunen. Dit kan daarom ook voor initiële lerarenopleidingen van belang zijn. Het ontwikkelproces combineerde een gecontextualiseerde, kwalitatieve benadering met een kwantitatieve validatiestudie 1. Het bleek dat de betrouwbaarheid en validiteit voldoende zijn. Tevens zijn de gebruikerservaringen positief.

When does person-environment fit enhance team outcomes? Examining the interaction between supplementary and complementary person-team fit (abstract refereed)

Predicting hospitality management students’ intention to enter employment in the hospitality industry on graduation

This study investigates factors predicting hospitality management students’ intention to enter employment in the hospitality industry upon graduation. Survey data were collected from 591 hospitality management students in a hotel management school in the Netherlands. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that study progress negatively predicted, while preferences for large organisations, engaging work content and growth opportunities positively predicted students’ intention to enter the hospitality industry. Supplementary analyses further revealed that among higher study year students, growth opportunity was the most crucial predictor for intention to enter the industry. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.