Workspace as a factor of job satisfaction in the banking and ICT industries in Macedonia

  • Ana Tomovska Misoska University American College Skopje
  • Miodraga Stefanovska-Petkovska University American College Skopje
  • Misko Ralev University American College Skopje
  • Venera Krliu-Handjiski University American College Skopje

Abstract


Job satisfaction has always been an interesting topic among the business community. One important aspect that gains more and more prominence is the relationship between physical aspects of the workspace and experienced level of job satisfaction. Although there is numerous research exploiting the link between workspace and job satisfaction in European and worldwide companies there is a lack of such research in the Republic of Macedonia and the Balkan region. Therefore the objective of this study is to investigate the relation between physical workspace environment, workspace satisfaction and employees’ job satisfaction in the banking and ICT sector in the Republic of Macedonia. The study is quantitative using a questionnaire as a main research instrument implemented among 250 employees. The analysis is concentrated on uncovering the impact of various aspects of the workspace design and personalization of the workspace on workplace satisfaction and through that on job satisfaction. The results confirm that workspace satisfaction and job satisfaction depend on various elements of workspace design. Therefore significant attention should be paid to employees’ perception of the workspace and the design of various aspects of the workspaces.

References

Aaras, A., Horgen, G., Bjorset. H.H., Ro, O. &Walsoe H.(2001) Musculoskeletal, visual and psychosocial stress in VDU operators before and after multidisciplinary ergonomic interventions: A 6 years prospective study - Part II. Applied Ergonomics, 32(6), (2001), pp. 559-571.

Abdullah &Ramay, M.I. (2012) Antecedents of organizational commitment of banking sector employees in Pakistan, Serbian Journal of Management, 7 (1): 89-102.

Bedeian, A.G. ,Ferris, G.R. andKacmar K.M.(1992) Age, tenure, and job satisfaction: A tale of two perspectives. Journal of Vocational behavior,40 (1), pp.33-48.

Bender, K. A., Donohue, S. M., & Heywood, J. S. (2005).Job satisfaction and gender segregation. Oxford economic papers, 57 (3), pp.479-496.

Brasche, S., Bullinger, M., Morfeld, M., Gebhardt, H.J., &Bischof, W. (2001). Why do women suffer from sick building syndrome more often than men? – subjective higher sensitivity versus objective causes. Indoor Air, 11, 217-222.

Chao, H. J., Schwartz, J., Milton, D. K., & Burge, H. A. (2003).The work environment and workers' health in four large office buildings. Environmental Health Perspectives, 111(9), 1242-1248.

Coolican, H. (2004) Research methods and statistics in psychology. Abingdon: Hodder Arnold.

Crossman, A., &Abou-Zaki, B. (2003).Job satisfaction and employee performance of Lebanese banking staff. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18 (4), p.368-376.

Danielsson, C. (2005). Office Environment, Health & Job Satisfaction. Stockholm Tryck: Universitetsservice US AB.

Diala, I., &Nemani, R. (2011). Job Satisfaction: Key Factors Influencing Information Technology (IT) Professionals in Washington DC. International Journal of Computer Technology and Applications, 2 (4), p. 829-830.

Frontczak, M., Schiavon, S., Goins, J., Arens, E., Zhang, H. &Wargocki, P. (2012), Quantitative relationships between occupant satisfaction and satisfaction aspects of indoor environmental quality and building design. Indoor Air, 22: 119–131.

Ghazzawi, I. (2010).Gender Role in Job Satisfaction: The Case of the U.S. Iinformation Technology Professionals. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 14 (2), 25.

Hameed, A. &Amjad, S. (2009). Impact of Office Design on Employees’ Productivity: A Case Study of Banking Organizations of Abbottabad, Pakistan. Journal of Public Affairs, Administration and Management,3(1), 1–13.

Knight, C. &Haslam, A.S. (2010) Your Place or Mine? Organizationalidentification and comfort as mediators of relationshipsbetween the managerial control of workspace and employees’ satisfaction and well-being. British Journal of Management, 21, 717-735.

Lee, R., & Wilbur, E. R. (1985). Age, Education, Job Tenure, Salary, Job Characteristics, and Job Satisfaction: A multivariate analysis. Human Relations, 38 (8), 781-791.

Miles, A. K. &Perrewe, P. L. (2011), The Relationship Between Person–Environment Fit, Control, and Strain: The Role of Ergonomic Work Design and Training. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41, 729–772.

Newsham, G., Brand, J., Donnely, C., Veitch, J., Aries, M. & Charles, K. (2009). Linking Indoor Environment Conditions to Job Satisfaction: A Field Study.Building Research & Information, 129-147.

Okpara, J. O. (2006). Gender and the Relationship Between Perceived Fairness in Pay, Promotion, and Job Satisfaction in a Sub-Saharan African Economy. Women in Management Review, 21(3), 224-240.

Oshagbemi, T. (2000).Gender Differences in the Job Satisfaction of University Teachers. Journal of Women in Management Review, 15 (7), 331-343.

Öztürk, E., Yılmazer, S. & Ural, S. E. (2012), The effects of achromatic and chromatic color schemes on participants' task performance in and appraisals of an office environment. Color Res. Appl., 37, 359–366.

Pereira Da Silva, M., Amaral, F. G., Mandagara, H. &Leso, B. H. (2012), Difficulties in quantifying financial losses that could be reduced by ergonomic solutions. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing and Service Industries, 24 (4), 415-427.

Robbins, S.P. & Judge, T.A. (2009).Organizational Behavior. London: Pearson Educational, p.62-65.

Rose, L. M., Orrenius, U. E. & Neumann, W. P. (2013), Work Environment and the Bottom Line: Survey of Tools Relating Work Environment to Business Results. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing and Service Industries, 23 (5), 368–381.

Sell, L. &Cleal, B. (2011), Job Satisfaction, Work Environment, and Rewards: Motivational Theory Revisited. LABOUR, 25 (1), 1–23.

Stenberg, B., Eriksson, N., Hoog, J., Sundell, J., & Wall, S. (1994). The sick building syndrome (SBS) in office workers: A case-referent study of personal, psychosocial and building-related risk indicators. International Journal of Epidemiology, 23 (6), 1190-1197.

Sundstrom, E. (1986). Work places: The psychology of the physical environment in offices and factories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Veitch, J.A., Charles, K.E., Farley, K.M.J., &Newsham, G.R. (2007.) A model of satisfaction with open-plan office conditions: COPE field findings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27 (3), 177-189.

Veitch, J.A., Charles, K.E., Newsham, G.R., Marquart, C.J.G., &Geerts, J. (2003) Environmental Satisfaction in Open-Plan Environments: 5. Workstation and Physical Condition Effects. NRC Institute for Research in Construction.Available at:http://doi.org/10.4224/20378817(Accessed 13.05.2014).

Wineman, J. &Adhya, A. (2007).Enhancing Workspace Performance: predicting the influence of spatial and psychosocial factors on job satisfaction.Proceedings, 6th International Space Syntax Symposium, İstanbul, 1-15.

Wolfeld, L.R. (2010), Effects of Office Layout on Job Satisfaction, Productivity and Organizational Commitment as Transmitted through Face-to-Face Interactions. Colonial Academic Alliance Undergraduate Research Journal, 1 (8). Available at: http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/caaurj/vol1/iss1/8 (Accessed on 13.05.2014).

Published
2014/06/17
Section
Original Scientific Paper