Physical and psychological discomfort in the office environment

Office employees spend a lot of time inside buildings, where the physical conditions influence their well-being and indirectþ influence their employers' business performance. With data from a field study conducted in the Netherlands in April-May 2003, we used path analysis to further elucidate the relationship between personal (gender and seasonality of mood shifts), building (view type, view quality, window distance, and social density), and environmental conditions (light quality, and office impression) and physical and psychological discomfort, sleep quality, and hindrance. The results show that window views of nature, and those that are rated as being more altractive, are beneficial to building occupants, reducing discomfort. However, being close to a window and rating the lighting as being of lower quality can result in thermal and glare problems (hindrances). Reduced discomfort at work can improve sleep quality, indicating that physical conditions at work influence home life.