The affordances of the academic workplace: an empirical study of academic staff experiences with different office designs

Purpose This study aims to explore how academic staff experience their physical work environment and the extent to which different workplace designs facilitate academic work. The findings are discussed using the theory of affordances. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was distributed to the employees working at one of the campuses of a large university in Norway. The survey received 188 responses from academic staff. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS, and open-ended responses were analysed using a qualitative approach. Findings Employees working in individual offices are generally more satisfied with their workplace and how it facilitates different work activities than those who work in open-plan offices. While open-plan offices are considered socially pleasant, they are not considered suitable for academic work. The findings suggest that the lack of auditory and visual privacy, as well as the presence of distractions, are factors that may explain the low satisfaction scores for those in open-plan offices, as it does not meet their needs for both concentration and interaction. Having employees spread across multiple buildings can decrease informal interaction between colleagues. Social affordances can help explore the links between the physical and social work environment. Originality/value This paper contributes to the research on workplace design for academic staff by investigating their experiences with different office types and analysing how different design approaches facilitate academic work activities from an affordance perspective.