Control over your workspace design improves health and productivity.

Employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace are not only happier and healthier, but they are also up to 32% more productive, according to new research.

Studies by the University's School of Psychology have revealed the potential for remarkable improvements in workers' attitudes towards their jobs, allowing them to personalize their offices.

The findings challenge the conventional approach taken by most companies, where managers often create a 'lean' work environment that reflects a standardized corporate identity.

Dr. Craig Knight conducted the research as part of his PhD and is now the director of PRISM, a company dealing with space issues in the workplace. He said that "most contemporary offices are functional and offer little control to the user, but our studies suggest that this practice needs to be challenged."

"When people feel uncomfortable in their surroundings, they are less engaged, not just with the space, but also with the work they do in it."

If workers can have some control, the situation changes. People report being happier at work, identifying more with their employer and being more efficient in performing their duties.

The survey involved more than 2,000 office workers in a series of studies looking at attitudes and productivity within the workspace. This included two worker attitude surveys conducted through online questionnaires, as well as two experiments that examined workers' efficiency when performing tasks under different conditions.

The surveys assessed the level of control workers had over their space, ranging from none to being fully consulted about changes to the design. Workers were then asked a series of questions about how they felt about their workspace and their jobs.

The results consistently showed that the more control people had over their office spaces, the happier and more motivated they were in their jobs. They felt more physically comfortable at work, identified more with their employers, and felt more positive about work in general. Is that why the home office worked so well?

Two other studies, one at university and one in commercial offices, saw participants take on a range of tasks in a workspace that was lean (bare and functional), enriched (decorated with plants and photos), empowered (allowing the individual to design the area) or powerless (where the individual's design was redesigned by a 'manager').

People who worked in enriched spaces were 17% more productive than those in lean spaces, but people who were in an empowered workspace were even more efficient, being 32% more productive than people in lean spaces.

Professor Alex Haslam, co-author of the research, said it is time for managers to recognize the potential improvements that can be made by handing some control over space to workers and thus giving them the opportunity to realize their own identity in the workplace.

He said, "Office design not only determines whether people's backs hurt, it also has the potential to affect how much they accomplish, how much initiative they take, and their overall job satisfaction. Additional research that we and others have conducted also highlights strong links between lack of control over the workspace and illness in the office."

"All of this can have a huge impact for companies of any size, but employers rarely consider the psychological ramifications that come from the way they manage the workspace. By paying more attention to employees' needs, they can increase well-being and productivity at minimal cost."

The research was carried out with the help of Ambius, a company that specializes in providing services to enrich workspaces for companies and was jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Kenneth Freeman, International Technical Director at Ambius, said: "This research shows that the spaces in which people work are critically important to the way they do their jobs. Of course, engaging with employees to enrich the workspace , companies can help their employees feel engaged and inspired, and this has clear benefits in helping companies grow and achieve their goals."

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Materials provided by University of Exeter. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.