Impact of indoor environmental quality on job satisfaction and self-reported productivity of university employees in a tropical African climate

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) studies in educational buildings have largely focused on students with limited attention on office workers in post-secondary institutions like universities, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. University office workers, especially academics and professionals, have varied office use patterns that may influence their IEQ satisfaction and productivity. This research investigated differences in IEQ satisfaction factors (ventilation and thermal comfort, acoustics and privacy, and lighting), job satisfaction and self-reported productivity between academics and professionals in private, shared and open-plan offices. The data was collected using an adapted IEQ questionnaire survey that was administered online to employees of a university located in the tropical middle belt of Ghana. The results showed no statistically significant differences in IEQ satisfaction factors; however, professionals were generally more satisfied compared to academics. The impact of IEQ on productivity was positive for professionals and negative for academics except those in private offices; however, differences in job satisfaction between professionals and academics were insignificant. Correlation analysis suggested that improving IEQ of offices is likely to have positive impact on job satisfaction and productivity of both professionals and academics. Findings of this research would interest designers and managers of educational buildings in tropical climates seeking to meet the unique IEQ requirements of university office workers.