title: Impact of noise on self-rated job satisfaction and health in open-plan offices: a structural equation modelling approach.
abstract: This study uses a structural equation model to examine the effects of noise on self-rated job satisfaction and health in open-plan offices. A total of 334 employees from six open-plan offices in China and Korea completed a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included questions assessing noise disturbances and speech privacy, as well as job satisfaction and health. The results indicated that noise disturbance affected self-rated health. Contrary to popular expectation, the relationship between noise disturbance and job satisfaction was not significant. Rather, job satisfaction and satisfaction with the environment were negatively correlated with lack of speech privacy. Speech privacy was found to be affected by noise sensitivity, and longer noise exposure led to decreased job satisfaction. There was also evidence that speech privacy was a stronger predictor of satisfaction with environment and job satisfaction for participants with high noise sensitivity. In addition, fit models for employees from China and Korea showed slight differences.
  This study is motivated by strong evidence that noise is the key source of complaints in open-plan offices. Survey results indicate that self-rated job satisfaction of workers in open-plan offices was negatively affected by lack of speech privacy and duration of disturbing noise.
authors.affiliation: a Acoustics Research Unit, School of Architecture, University of Liverpool , Liverpool L69 7ZN , UK.
authors.forename: Pyoung Jik
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: b Department of Architectural Engineering , Hanyang University , Seoul 133-791, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Kwon
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: b Department of Architectural Engineering , Hanyang University , Seoul 133-791, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: c School of Architecture, University of Sheffield , Sheffield S10 2TN , UK.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: c School of Architecture, University of Sheffield , Sheffield S10 2TN , UK.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005160:Facility Design and Construction / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009623:Noise, Occupational; D018907:Privacy / Q000523:psychology; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: health; job satisfaction; noise; open-plan office; structural equation model