Home vs office: Does workspace design influence where academics conduct their research?

This study investigates whether and how the spatial design of the workspace influences academics' choices to work at the university or from home (WFH) for their research activities. Following the organizational space literature, we conceptualize spaces for research work through four building blocks of spatial design ( i.e. , physical structure, perceived workplace arrangements, distance, and spatial scale). We analyze how these four building blocks influence academics' daily work organization between home and office, and whether this influence varies across disciplines. The empirical part of the study relies on a unique dataset combining primary and secondary data on Italian academics across all disciplines. The findings emphasize the importance of space design in academic work organization. They also reveal that the influence of spatial design features varies across disciplines. Each discipline has its unique work organization and range of tasks, leading to distinct spatial requirements. Additional analyses show that the decision over where to work influences scientific productivity. The paper contributes to the literature on academic work organization, organizational spaces, and remote working. • Research work from home vs. office depends on workspace design and tasks. • Physical structure, arrangement, distance, and scale impact work organization. • The effects of these spatial features vary across disciplinary task environments. • Academics in engineering and the natural sciences are the most sensitive to space. • The decision over where to work influences research productivity.