| The purpose of this study is to evaluate possible effects of selected occupancy design factors on perceptions of occupancy quality on the part of older versus younger workers. A total of 416 participants were enlisted from 2 sources: 291 participants were recruited through Orfield Laboratories (OL) occupancy research studies, and 125 participants were enlisted from selected University of Minnesota (UM) office environments. Study participants were classified into 3 age groups: 121 participants for the younger group (<35 years of age), 185 participants for the middle group (35--49 years of age), and 110 participants for the older group (≥50 years of age).; Employee perceptions were assessed using an occupancy quality perceptual response survey questionnaire. Physical environmental conditions at selected work stations at each occupancy research site were collected using an occupancy environment monitoring system that collects simultaneous measures of noise, light, and thermal comfort levels.; Results show that there are differences in perceptions of attributes contributing to work environment quality among workers in different age groups, related to Noise and Privacy, Annoyance from noise, Visual quality, and Office appearance. However, workers in different age groups did not perceive attributes contributing to job and task quality differently. Age differences in perceptions of organizational leadership and compensation quality were found. However, work area quality is the only design attribute contributing to workstation design quality that appears to be age related.; The finding from bivariate response suggests that, relative to younger workers, older workers may be more perceptually attuned and sensitive to conditions in their work environment. All, except one, of the attributes that workers in all age groups perceive to be most important factors for job satisfaction are related to organizational/compensation quality and job quality. In all three groups, three out of the five attributes perceived to be least important for job satisfaction are related to work environment and work station quality. Physical environmental conditions in the workplace differentially influence perceptions of workers of different age groups regarding the quality of their work environment. Differences in office sites play an important role in influencing worker perceptions of their work environment. |
