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THE INFLUENCE OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE


The structure of the organization refers to various individuals in different roles and the relationships in both formal and informal way. They are called as 'employees'. The employees are one of the primary influences over the behavior of an organization. The growth and the success of an organization depend on the performance of the employees. Therefore the organizations need highly performing individuals in order to achieve their goals. There are several factors that commonly affect the employee performance. A positive work environment is one of the main components which increase the performance of the employees (Naharuddin & Sadegi, 2013).

Work environment

A work environment refers to the influencing factors of physical components and the behavioral components of employees' activities. There are 2 types of working environments, physical environment and behavioral environment. The physical environment consists of elements which are related to the office environment. The behavioral environment consists of elements which are related to the employee’s attitudes (Oswald. A, 2012). 


FIGURE 1: Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)
                     

Performance

Performance is the outcome of an employee or employees in an organization, how effectively and efficiently they carryout their day to day activities to attain the goal of the organization.  According to Hill & Aylwin (2005), the term ‘performance’ has been described in many ways such as, employee’s productivity, motivation and retention, knowledge and skills, creativity and innovation, positivity on technological advancement, regular attendance, customer attraction and employees retention, etc.. Further it shows the interrelationship between employees and the working environment.


FIGURE 2: The influence of work environment
                               

Physical Environment 

Physical environment is the work place where the business operations are conducted. The employer has to show more concern on physical environment as the employees have a direct influence over their it. It is clear that the work environment effects significantly towards the productivity of the employees.

Factors that effect the physical environment

Air quality - The quality of air inside the workplace is important for the comfort of the workers and to maintain their health. It increases the work engagement of the employees.

Temperature - It helps to maintain the positive attitude of individual during the work time.

Ergonomics - It is all about designing the workplace according to the employees need where the employees work comfortably and safely. A work place ergonomics helps to remove risk, improve human performance and the productivity.

Ambient lighting - It ensures comfortable illumination levels in building a productive environment and influences employees’ work, mood and overall health.

Noise Levels - The level of noise must be controlled in the work environment and employers should provide hearing protection.

 

Behavioral Environment (Non-physical Work Environment)

Behavioral environment is the condition of the workplace environment of employees in the form of a harmonious work atmosphere, as there is an interaction between all employees. With a harmonious work and communication atmosphere, employees will feel comfortable in the workplace so that ultimately more unity and teamwork is practiced. This helps to promote the satisfaction of the the employees to carry out their daily tasks more effectively and efficiently which increases the performance of the organization(Haynes, B.P, 2007).

Factors that effect the behavioral environment

Space layout - The workspace environment needs to be recognized and studied for its impact on collaboration and interactive behavior of employees at work. A quality workspace design leads to a less stressful and more productive atmosphere.

Privacy - Workplace privacy is related with ways of accessing, controlling, and monitoring employees' information in a work environment. It is one of the essential concerns for both employees and employers. Therefore maintaining privacy and protecting personal information of the employees is important for all organizations.

Furnishing - Furnishing is the workplace setting. Provide a safe, relaxing atmosphere and a comfortable feeling to all the employees in the organization.

Cleanliness - The cleanliness in the work place helps to maintain the good health of the employees and improve the efficiency and the productivity of the organization.

Facilities - Facilities are the services provided by the organization to support and improve the effectiveness of the employees. The organizations must appreciate, respect and value them by providing the best facilities to their employees.

View - Organizations cannot provide all the facilities to their employees but they can provide the essential needs for them to feel comfortable in their workplace and to create the most productive and most rewarding workplace.

Maslow's Hierarchy of needs


              FIGURE 3: Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as applied to the Workforce (Harder, 2014)

According to Maslow’s hierarchy, the above human needs of the employees must be fulfilled in a work environment in order motivate them to perform well. The needs shown above should be satisfied in the work environment of the organization.

Conclusion

The employees spend more time in their work place. Therefore the work environment must fits to the employees based on both physical and behavioral factors. Nowadays, employees have large number of job opportunities, it is easy for them to find the best alternatives, therefore the organizations should focus on both physical and behavioral environmental factors to retain  their employees to achieve higher levels of performance (Kamarulzaman et al, 2011).

"It is evident that performance of an employee is influenced by the work environment" (Oswald A, 2012).




REFERENCES

Haynes, B.P, 2007. The Impact of the Behavioral Environment on Office Productivity. Journal of Facilities Management. Sheffield Hallam University, UK

Hafeez et al, 2019, Impact of workplace environment on employee performance: Mediating role of employee health, School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan China

Hill, J., and Aylwin,R,. 2005. British Business Leaders Urged To Consider The Impact Of Design, As Report Shows It Can Affect Workforce Performance By Up To 11per Cent

Kamarulzaman.N et al, 2011, An Overview of the Influence of Physical Office Environments towards Employees: The 2nd International Building Control Conference, Faculty of Architecture, Perak and Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (ISM)

Naharuddin, N. M., & Sadegi, M. 2013. Factors of Workplace Environment that Affect Employees Performance: A Case Study of Miyazu Malaysia, International Journal of Independent Research and Studies 

Oswald, A., 2012. The Effect of Working Environment on Workers Performance: The Case of Reproductive and Child Health Care Providers in Tarime District. Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences




Comments

  1. Kapila MendisNovember 13, 2021 at 12:23 AM

    Attractive

    ReplyDelete
  2. Irfan AlibahNovember 13, 2021 at 2:10 AM

    This blog is very informative. Employees spends a lot of time in the office and there are instances that employees has to work a bit longer than the normal working hours to meet deadlines.
    Therefore working environment is very important when it comes to motivation, performance/ productivity when employees give extra hours to the organization.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sanjaya BandaranayakeNovember 13, 2021 at 2:52 AM

    Work place environment is a key determinant of the quality of employees work and their performance and productivity. A positive working environment encompasses a level of respect and overall understanding between colleagues and with the employer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mohamed AfkarNovember 13, 2021 at 4:05 AM

    We can get a clear picture of employee performance and the environment

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fahim MBA- Batch-23- 2021November 13, 2021 at 4:51 AM

    Nicely mention employers are assets of an organization meanwhile working Environment more important factor to keep the workers moral as well everyone can imagine most of the employees spend more times in his or her work place .Good Topic .

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nuwansiri RathnayakeNovember 17, 2021 at 6:24 AM

    Better working environment is one of point for employee motivation. Agreed with your conclusion. This is more important to increase the productivity and performance. You have well summarized very useful points. thanks for the sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lakshmi BandaraDecember 11, 2021 at 4:29 PM

    "The next level of happiness, which tends to last a lot longer, is the feeling that you have a pleasant life. That kind of feeling comes from liking what you are doing and feeling good about your job. The most sustainable level of happiness is being able to feel like you are giving back to this world." (Cheryl Stein,2020)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sandya December 13, 2021 at 6:44 AM

    Better working environment lead employees towards motivation. It directly combine with performance and success in organization. You have mentioned really good points in your article.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Benjamin ThasonDecember 14, 2021 at 1:15 PM

    It great that you have xompered with the maslows hirachcal theory and environment pleays a critical role in the staff perforamce

    ReplyDelete
  10. Manoj JudeDecember 18, 2021 at 2:28 AM

    A positive environment should be there for employees to perform well and to their fullest extent which automatically would produce better outcome and excellent end result. Democratic type Leaders always create positive and an enable environment for employees to perform well

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hariz HaniffaDecember 18, 2021 at 9:04 PM

    Very nice article,The mental state, actions, abilities, and performance of employees are all influenced by the workplace environment. Employees can focus on their duties more effectively in a comfortable setting, which leads to enhanced employee performance, which in turn leads to increased employee productivity.Thank you !

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tharaka Pathirana December 19, 2021 at 12:12 AM

    If a company retains a high percentage of employee retention, it can achieve high performance. For this, the corporate management should create a suitable environment in the employee environment.
    This contributes to the high quality of the products and services manufactured by the company. (Al-Omari and Okasheh,2017)

    ReplyDelete
  13. W.A Janaka prasanna DiasDecember 19, 2021 at 1:20 AM

    Very nice article and good knowledge sharing..

    ReplyDelete

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