Age, office type, job satisfaction and performance

Age is everything but a number, as it covers individual changes in physical, mental, social and societal aspects; factors that influence people’s perceptions and expectations in life. This research focuses on ageing in an environment which normally covers a long period of time in life: the workplace. The aim of this study is to get insight into the influence of age in relation to the experience of the office environment and job performance. A differentiation will be made between traditional cellular offices with assigned places andflexible office concepts(i.e. more open layouts with non-assigned placesand multiple age groups will be distinguished). It is important to emphasize the effects of ageing on an individual performance level as well as on an organizational performance level. The results can help organizations to anticipate the possible difficulties people from different ages encounter in general in their work environment. Also, these findings can give organizations insight into how the preferences of employees of different ages can be taken into account. The results will lead into suggestions for making the work environment attractive for employees of all age groups and to recruit or retain talented and valuable employees.Overall, the outcomes will be supportive for decision-making regarding optimization or adaptation of the current or new office environment.