Paul Roelofsen and Kaspar Jansen
The purpose of this study is to analyze the question “In what order of magnitude does the comfort and performance improvement lie with the use of a cooling vest for construction…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the question “In what order of magnitude does the comfort and performance improvement lie with the use of a cooling vest for construction workers?”.
Design/methodology/approach
The use of personal cooling systems, in the form of cooling vests, is not only intended to reduce the heat load, in order to prevent disruption of the thermoregulation system of the body, but also to improve work performance. A calculation study was carried out on the basis of four validated mathematical models, namely a cooling vest model, a thermophysiological human model, a dynamic thermal sensation model and a performance loss model for construction workers.
Findings
The use of a cooling vest has a significant beneficial effect on the thermal sensation and the loss of performance, depending on the thermal load on the body.
Research limitations/implications
Each cooling vest can be characterized on the basis of the maximum cooling power (Pmax; in W/m²), the cooling capacity (Auc; in Wh/m2) and the time (tc; in minutes) after which the cooling power is negligible. In order to objectively compare cooling vests, a (preferably International and/or European) standard/guideline must be compiled to determine the cooling power and the cooling capacity of cooling vests.
Practical implications
It is recommended to implement the use of cooling vests in the construction process so that employees can use them if necessary or desired.
Social implications
Climate change, resulting in global warming, is one of the biggest problems of present times. Rising outdoor temperatures will continue in the 21st century, with a greater frequency and duration of heat waves. Some regions of the world are more affected than others. Europe is one of the regions of the world where rising global temperatures will adversely affect public health, especially that of the labor force, resulting in a decline in labor productivity. It will be clear that in many situations air conditioning is not an option because it does not provide sufficient cooling or it is a very expensive investment; for example, in the situation of construction work. In such a situation, personal cooling systems, such as cooling vests, can be an efficient and financially attractive solution to the problem of discomfort and heat stress.
Originality/value
The value of the study lies in the link between four validated mathematical models, namely a cooling vest model, a thermophysiological human model, a dynamic thermal sensation model and a performance loss model for construction workers.
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One of the fundamental human requirements is a working environment that allows people to perform their work optimally under comfortable conditions. Given that buildings and air…
Abstract
One of the fundamental human requirements is a working environment that allows people to perform their work optimally under comfortable conditions. Given that buildings and air conditioning systems are designed on the basis of a certain level of discomfort, this raises the key question ‘What is the effect of the level of comfort on the productivity of people working in office environments?’ The purpose of this paper is to quantify this relationship as an aid to making choices regarding the working environment at strategic level within the facilities management process, with particular emphasis on thermal conditions.
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This article is a proposal and aims to be a first step to develop a method to evaluate and classify environmental noise, according to EN‐15251 and CR‐1752, in the built…
Abstract
Purpose
This article is a proposal and aims to be a first step to develop a method to evaluate and classify environmental noise, according to EN‐15251 and CR‐1752, in the built environment based on the percentage of dissatisfied related to the equivalent background noise level.
Design/methodology/approach
In the European guideline CR‐1752 and the standard EN‐15251 three categories of the indoor environment in buildings are prescribed (category A, B and C). In the recommendations, the limit whereby the percentage of dissatisfied should remain under varies in each category for both the thermal indoor environment and the air quality. The categories for noise and illumination criteria are not yet explicitly related to a percentage of dissatisfied.
Findings
Using the percentage of dissatisfied as the evaluation criterion, when related to the equivalent background noise, produces a more refined evaluation of comfort than an evaluation based on the percentage of seriously disturbed or the effects of sleep deprivation in relation to external noise. Furthermore, this corresponds to the European standards and recommendations concerning quality classification of the indoor environment, based on the percentage of dissatisfied.
Originality/value
Based on recent European undertakings concerning the development of categories for the indoor environment based on the percentage of dissatisfied, it is desirable to utilise these categories to noise aspects too, and to relate it to the equivalent background noise level.
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The purpose of this paper is to show how the performance of the personnel can be negatively affected by conversations, adjacent to the working space, in an open‐plan office…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show how the performance of the personnel can be negatively affected by conversations, adjacent to the working space, in an open‐plan office environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Using two scientific mathematical models it is possible to quantify the performance losses, as a result of adjacent conversations, with various desk layouts in an open‐plan office.
Findings
The results obtained from the underlying Finnish study can be improved by applying a regression analysis to the recorded research results. The modified deviation formula not only corresponds more closely to the research results, but also produces a better translation of the speech intelligibility index to the intelligibility qualifications, as shown in the guideline NPR 3438.
Originality/value
It is reasonable to conclude that performance loss, as a result of a poor acoustic situation, can be related to the speech intelligibility in a space. The relationship between the speech intelligibility index and performance loss makes it possible to design on the basis of productivity improvement, resulting in a comfortable acoustic working environment and a consistent financial advantage for the organisation.
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The purpose of this paper is to show that it is advisable to evaluate draught in an operating theatre in a different manner than the method according to NEN‐EN‐ISO‐7730. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show that it is advisable to evaluate draught in an operating theatre in a different manner than the method according to NEN‐EN‐ISO‐7730. The NEN‐EN‐ISO‐7730 is an international standard for the analytical determination and interpretation of the thermal comfort of the human body and the local thermal comfort like for instance draught.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a CFD computer program, it is possible to evaluate draught in an operating theatre in the design stage, according to different mathematical draught models.
Findings
It would seem advisable to begin with the draught model developed by Griefahn. The model does, however, need to be modified to include the effects of temperature sensation and the direction of the air stream, so that it becomes applicable to a thermally cool environment (PMV<0) and a vertical air stream, the air pattern prescribed for an operating theatre.
Originality/value
It can be demonstrated that by implementing the proposal in this paper in a CFD program, the possibility exists to be able to evaluate, in a responsible fashion, the results for a much broader range of parameters than is currently possible by means of the NEN‐EN‐ISO‐7730.
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Egbert 't Hooft and C.P.G. Roelofsen
The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that it is completely rational to invest in climate installations for offices designed on the highest comfort category.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that it is completely rational to invest in climate installations for offices designed on the highest comfort category.
Design/methodology/approach
By means of a study on a building model it is proved that the benefits of a higher comfort category outweigh the costs of the additional investment, with marginally higher energy costs for cooling.
Findings
Depending on the type of climate installation and the comfort class, the additional investment costs can be recovered within six month to two years, due to a higher level of comfort and raised productivity.
Originality/value
The relationship between the thermal environment and productivity makes it possible to design on the basis of productivity improvement, resulting in a comfortable working environment and a consistent financial advantage for the organisation. If the indoor environment is henceforth assessed in the context of comfort and productivity, the participants in the housing process who are generally less interested in the aspects mentioned above will eventually incorporate investments in the quality of the workplace in their objects (in connection with the ability to sell and lease real‐estate).
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Paul Ranson and Daniel Guttentag
This study aimed to investigate whether increasing the social presence within an Airbnb lodging environment could nudge guests toward altruistic cleaning behaviors.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate whether increasing the social presence within an Airbnb lodging environment could nudge guests toward altruistic cleaning behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was based around a theoretical framework combining the social-market versus money-market relationship model, nudge theory and social presence theory. A series of three field experiments were conducted, in which social presence was manipulated to test its impact on guest cleaning behaviors prior to departure.
Findings
The experimental results confirmed the underlying hypothesis that an Airbnb listing’s enhanced social presence can subtly induce guests to help clean their rental units prior to departure.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine behavioral nudging in an Airbnb context. It is also one of the first field experiments involving Airbnb. The study findings offer clear theoretical and practical implications.
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Marek Endrich, Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe, Rafael Costa, Lena Imeraj and Sylvie Gadeyne
The purpose of this study is to compare the spatial distribution of different types of Airbnb hosts – based on a novel typology – and to investigate their association with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to compare the spatial distribution of different types of Airbnb hosts – based on a novel typology – and to investigate their association with neighbourhood characteristics in Brussels.
Design/methodology/approach
This study describes the location of Airbnb dwellings across the types of hosts and use spatial tests to compare their distributions to the traditional hospitality industry. With regression models, this study examines the relationship between the provision of Airbnb listings and neighbourhood indicators.
Findings
While different types of hosts offer their listings in the same urban space, they also cover different areas and exhibit different clustering processes. Their locations are associated with structural, socio-economic and demographic neighbourhood characteristics that vary across the types and provide support for the new typology.
Research limitations/implications
This study focuses on the type of Airbnb hosts and their listings in one year, 2019. It would be worthwhile to apply the typology to other cities and to observe how the distributions change over time, including the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to suggest a finer typology of Airbnb hosts than the regular distinction into professional and non-professional types and reveals how hosts differ in the location of their Airbnbs.
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Mirte Horrevorts, Johan Van Ophem and Paul Terpstra
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the cleanliness of a work environment has influence on the productivity of employees working in office environments of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the cleanliness of a work environment has influence on the productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands.
Design/methodology/approach
In the study, an online survey (including questions about the perceived cleanliness) and two objective cleanliness assessment methods (particle counts and surface cleanliness) are used. The data are collected using an online questionnaire to determine the workers’ perception (of productivity and cleanliness) and to measure the cleanliness (visual assessment of the surface cleanliness and measured [dust] particle counts in the ambient air) at five different non-profit organizations in The Netherlands.
Findings
It is found that a higher objective cleanliness correlates significantly with a higher perceived productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands. A higher measured cleanliness also correlates significantly with a higher work satisfaction level of employees working in office environments. Finally, a significant correlation is found between the satisfaction of employees with their work as a whole and the perceived productivity of the employees; a higher satisfaction leads to a higher perceived productivity.
Research limitations/implications
The cleanliness is measured in five non-profit organizations, so it is not possible to draw any strong generalization. Future studies are needed to confirm or contradict the findings in this research.
Practical implications
The results highlight the aspects of the cleanliness in the office environment that influence the perceived productivity. This concerns the measured cleanliness. Employees evaluate their own productivity lower at a higher level of particle counts in the ambient air in the office environment and when more dirt and stain are found on the surface (lower surface cleanliness). In response to these findings, it is recommended to carry out regular cleaning activities in the office environment where the employees perform their work. Overall, to maintain or achieve maximum personal productivity, a clean office environment is important.
Originality/value
This research is the first to identify the relationship between perceived productivity and measured cleanliness of the office environment.
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Azlan Shah Ali, Shirley Jin Lin Chua and Melissa Ee-Ling Lim
Maintaining a comfortable physical environment in the workplace is claimed to be vital as it will create a “healthier” building with optimum environmental conditions, which enable…
Abstract
Purpose
Maintaining a comfortable physical environment in the workplace is claimed to be vital as it will create a “healthier” building with optimum environmental conditions, which enable employees to be healthier and have a lower absenteeism rate, and hence be more productive. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to deal with the importance of physical environment comfort in the office workplace. Evaluation was made of the office workers’ performance that is mainly affected by levels of comfort in the office.
Design/methodology/approach
Three selected case studies were evaluated based on aspects of employees’ comfort, perceived health and absenteeism rate, by considering the elements of physical comfort that consist of room temperature, relative humidity and luminance level. The selected case studies were the Department of Development and Estate Maintenance of three research universities in Malaysia. Field studies were carried out using hygrometers and lux meters in measuring the said elements as well as post-occupancy evaluation, which involved 30 respondents for each case (total 90 respondents), to determine their perception of comfort and its effect on their health and absenteeism rate. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.
Findings
The results suggest that employees did not find luminance level uncomfortable, when compared with room temperature, thus proving that employees are more sensitive to room temperature comfort. Furthermore, when the room temperature comfort was low, significant correlations were found with health-related issues such as feeling “stuffy”, being easily tired and having difficulty concentrating.
Originality/value
This paper investigates the relationship between employee performance and a comfortable workplace environment. It could be concluded that an uncomfortable environment in an office workplace leads to health-related issues as well as increasing the absenteeism rate. High levels of employee absenteeism lead to decreased employee productivity, therefore affecting their work performance.