Individual differences in employee reactions to open-plan offices

This study examined the independent and joint influences of stimulus screening, inhibitory ability, perceived privacy and task complexity on the satisfaction and performance of employees working in open-plan offices. One hundred and nine participants from two organizations completed questionnaires and inhibitory ability measures. Performance was assessed through manager ratings. Results partially confirmed hypotheses that satisfaction and performance would be reduced for employees with poor stimulus screening or poor inhibitory ability, low perceived privacy, or complex tasks. Expectations that these factors would interact to produce employees' negative reactions were also partially confirmed. Importantly, results verify stimulus screening as a significant determinant of employees' reactions to the open-plan workplace. Implications for understanding employees' attitudinal and behavioral responses to the workplace, limitations of the study, and implications for future research are discussed.