Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Jun 3;61(3):173-183.
doi: 10.2486/indhealth.2022-0053. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Association of open-plan offices and sick leave-a systematic review and meta-analysis

Daniel Mauss  1 , Marc N Jarczok  2 , Bernd Genser  1 , Raphael Herr  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association of open-plan offices and sick leave-a systematic review and meta-analysis

Daniel Mauss et al. Ind Health. .

Abstract

We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the association of employees working in various kinds of open-plan offices with sick leave data, compared to those working in traditional cell offices. Databases of PubMed, PubPsych, and Psyndex were systematically searched following the PRISMA statement. Pooled summary estimates of odds ratio (OR) were calculated comparing sick leave of employees in cell offices with those working in small open-plan offices (4-9 people), and those in various open-plan office solutions (≥4 people). We used Forest plots visualizing study-specific estimates and the pooled fixed and random effects estimators. Five studies were identified (2008-2020) with a total of 13,277 (range 469-6,328) participants. Compared with employees working in cell offices, those working in small open-plan offices were associated with higher odds of sick leave days (OR=1.27; 95% CI 0.99-1.54; p=0.046) as well as those working in various kinds of open-plan offices with ≥4 colleagues (OR=1.24; 95% CI 0.96-1.51; p=0.004). Our results are consistent with those of earlier reviews focusing on other effects of open-plan office solutions such as health and well-being. Different solutions for office design and architectural lay-out should be the focus of future studies to balance pros and cons of open-plan offices.

Keywords: Absenteeism; Activity-based working; Employees; Office type; Open office; Sick leave; Sickness; Workspace.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Study selection.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Effect of small open-plan office vs. cell office on total number of sick leave days.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Effect of various kinds of open-plan offices (small open-plan office, medium sized open-plan office, large open-plan office, flex office, combi office) vs. cell office on total number of sick leave days, summary estimates for each study separately.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Effect of various kinds of open-plan offices (small open-plan office, medium sized open-plan office, large open-plan office, flex office, combi office) vs. cell office on total number of sick leave days, summary estimate over all studies based on within study random effects summary estimates (shown in Fig. 3).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Duffy F, Powell K .(1999) The new office, Repr. Conran Octopus, London.
    1. Danielsson CB, Bodin L. (2008) Office type in relation to health, well-being, and job satisfaction among employees. Environ Behav 40, 636–68.
    1. Boutellier R, Ullman F, Schreiber J, Naef R. (2008) Impact of office layout on communication in a science-driven business. R & D Manag 38, 372–91.
    1. Robertson MM, Huang YH, O’Neill MJ, Schleifer LM. (2008) Flexible workspace design and ergonomics training: impacts on the psychosocial work environment, musculoskeletal health, and work effectiveness among knowledge workers. Appl Ergon 39, 482–94. - PubMed
    1. Blok MM, Groenesteijn L, Schelvis R, Vink P. (2012) New ways of working: does flexibility in time and location of work change work behavior and affect business outcomes? Work 41Suppl 1, 5075–80. - PubMed