Looking good, feeling better, doing great: post-occupancy evaluation report on health care professionals workplace satisfaction

Abstract

Work-related stress among health care professionals has resulted in high turnover rates, which in turn leads to serious problems in the health care industry. Previous studies have shown that visual design elements can affect or even mitigate health care professionals’ perceived stress and therefore influence their workplace satisfaction. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the effects of visual design elements such as window view, color, and artwork as potential factors contributing to health care professionals’ workplace satisfaction. Considering how learned knowledge (e.g., cognitive expectations) might influence individuals’ perception of their workplace environment, this study tested for differences in workplace satisfaction between individuals who were informed about the positive effects of the design elements and those who were not. An observational cross-sectional, Internet-based survey instrument was used to collect data from a representative convenience sample of 224 health care professionals practicing in a Medical Office Building in the Northwest region of the United States.