Impact of management attitudes on perceived thermal comfort

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the influence of some organizational and management characteristics on the perception of indoor environment qualities such as thermal comfort and related stress. METHODS: One open office in each of three organizations in Eindhoven was studied. An office environment survey, a questionnaire on extended cognitive failure, and a questionnaire on effort–reward imbalance were combined to assess the perceived management attitudes and perceived (dis)comfort of 50 workers in each of two of the offices and of 43 persons in the third. The study included data on perceived and measured thermal comfort and indoor-air quality, self-reported personal factors, and organizational factors (N=46). RESULTS: Perceived thermal comfort correlated with perceived symptoms of the sick building syndrome; it also correlated or was associated with the following three management-related parameters: (i) employees’ stress, (ii) employees’ overcommitment to work, and (iii) employees’ perceived privacy. CONCLUSIONS: The managerial characteristics of an organization influences thermal comfort as perceived by employees.