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Manu, Sanyogita

University of British Columbia

The shift toward work-from-home (WFH) arrangements has raised important questions about the role of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in shaping worker well-being and productivity. While IEQ research has traditionally focused on controlled office settings, WFH environments introduce a complex interplay of physical workspace characteristics, environmental conditions, personal attributes, and household dynamics. Unlike standardized offices, WFH conditions vary widely across residences, creating unique challenges in assessing their impact. This study adopts a novel interdisciplinary approach, integrating objective measurements of multiple IEQ parameters—including temperature, humidity, air quality, and noise—with subjective assessments of well-being, work performance, contextual conditions and personal attributes. Data were collected from 95 WFH settings in the Pacific Northwest over a two-month summer period, combining continuous environmental monitoring with survey responses. Mean concentrations of tVOC, PM₂.₅, and CO₂ were 262 ± 322 ppb, 5 ± 21 µg/m³, and 712 ± 339 ppm, respectively. Indoor air temperature ranged between 14.7–32.3°C, with a mean value of 22.8 ± 2.3 °C, relative humidity averaged 52.5 ± 7.6%, and sound pressure level averaged 53.7 ± 4.6 dBA. Measured IEQ showed weak associations with well-being and work performance outcomes, suggesting that environmental conditions alone do not fully determine WFH efficacy. In contrast, subjective perceptions of IEQ showed stronger associations with workspace satisfaction and self-reported outcomes. Perceptions of workspace design—such as ergonomics and aesthetics—and of IEQ problems, including noise and interruptions, showed strong associations with well-being and performance, alongside non-IEQ factors such as personality traits and household characteristics. Notably, neuroticism was strongly associated with poorer outcomes, emphasizing the role of psychological factors. This study extends IEQ research by incorporating psychosocial and contextual dimensions, moving beyond environmental metrics. It highlights the limitations of traditional approaches that overlook broader factors shaping worker experience. By demonstrating the interdependencies among IEQ, personal attributes, and context, the study challenges simplistic assumptions about WFH environments. These insights underscore the need for holistic approaches that bridge environmental science, psychology, and workplace research. The study also provides a publicly accessible dataset combining objective and subjective measures of WFH environments to support future interdisciplinary research.

Text

2025-05-01

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90924

Mechanical Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/