An organisation's move from a traditional workspace to an 'Activity-based Flex Office' (AFO) has been studied extensively, with researchers finding a myriad of safety issues like neck and shoulder pains, headaches and confusion on raising OHS issues.
AFOs are a type of office design that requires different workstations for different tasks, rather than the traditional office design where workers have their own assigned desks for their tasks. "AFOs are usually designed to provide support for different types of work tasks, such as spaces for individual concentrated work, spaces for meetings and social areas, and under optimal conditions, there is always access to the right type of workstation". The idea is that workstations are activity-based, meaning "In AFOs there are no individually assigned workstations. Instead, the choice of space is based on the current activity in terms of work task, and workers can choose a suitable workstation based on the task at hand and personal preferences". AFOs aim to improve and engage workers' communication with one another and to reduce facility costs.
Their results report "At baseline, 51% of participants rated their health as “very good” or “excellent”, while 23% reported discomfort in the neck and shoulders either “often” or “all the time”". This can be attributed to there not being enough free workstations for employees, resulting in employees working on couches or in workstations that weren't fit for purpose, leading to unfit posture.
The new office design utilised the full depth of the space, but consequently limited lighting and access to natural light and windows, resulting in visual strain and reduced health amongst workers.
The study also found there was confusion over who to report health and safety matters to, saying "...it was described as unclear who had the overall responsibility for the work environment and who was responsible for the processes involved in making changes to the work environment".
Ultimately, the study concluded that shifting to an activity-based flex office is complex, and requires constant evaluation and monitoring.
Source: Article
