Großraumbüros und ihre Auswirkungen auf Mitarbeiter:innen

Abstract

Cost-effective, efficient, agile, and collaborative – these are the terms that can be used to attractively market open-plan offices. Due to increasing efforts towards agility and simultaneous cost savings, companies continue to increasingly rely on the concept of open-plan offices. This allows companies to quickly respond to changes. Additionally, the use of open office environments is expected to foster collaborative work among employees, as there are no barriers created by closed spaces, thereby promoting interaction. However, the open nature of open-plan offices also brings a number of challenges. Noise, distractions, difficulties in concentration, and loss of privacy are just a few of them. This thesis first provides a theoretical overview of the fundamentals of open-plan offices. Additionally, current office concepts that are currently being implemented are presented. The core of this master's thesis is a systematically conducted literature review and analysis on the effects of open-plan offices on employees. The results of this research method are comprehensively presented and discussed to provide a holistic overview of the current state of research. As part of the literature review and analysis, a total of 91 publications published since 1972 were identified. With this finding, a purely conceptual approach was pursued, as sufficient empirical studies were available, providing a solid foundation. The essence of this work presents 27 negative effects on employees in open-plan offices, contrasted by three positive effects. In four studies, neither a positive nor a negative effect could be proven. This led to the conclusion that open-plan offices are predominantly disadvantageous for employees, as direct impacts on health, productivity, and satisfaction were demonstrated. For clear categorization, five categories of dependent outcome variables were formed, and the studies were grouped according to their effects. Although the negative influences predominate, a positive effect could be demonstrated, particularly in the collaboration between employees and social interaction. This is an important aspect, as open-plan offices seem to promote the social character. In summary, it can be stated that open office landscapes present an advantage from the company's perspective. However, when considering the effects on employees, it is questionable whether the disadvantages do not outweigh the benefits for companies overall, as employees are a key resource for business success.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	René Riedl (Supervisor)