• Project number: F 2475
• Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
• Status: Completed Project

Description:

This literature study looked at how the indoor climate, noise, and lighting in workspaces affect employees’ well-being and cognitive performance. Nineteen primary studies and four secondary studies were evaluated. Most of these publications focussed on office work, in particular the impacts of the indoor climate and noise on well-being. Some of them investigated impacts on cognitive performance as well.

The results show that noise has the strongest effects on well-being, followed by room temperature and lighting. There is also evidence of interaction between perceptions of noise and perceptions of room temperature, for example when room temperatures are felt to become more uncomfortable as noise levels rise. However, the secondary studies conclude that the interactions identified to date have not been explored in sufficient depth and further research will therefore be required. Generally valid inferences can only be drawn from the results to a limited extent because many of the studies were conducted with relatively young test participants and the duration of the experiments was shorter than actual working times.

Furthermore, “perceived control” is significant for workplace practice. This means that enabling individuals to regulate the parameters of their working environment themselves leads to higher levels of satisfaction and well-being among the workforce.