Stress in the Work Environment: Improving employee health and performance by measuring stress in the work environment

Problem statement: Stress in the work environment is a growing problem, pushed forward by changing societal standards associated with meritocracy and the omnipresence of technology and communication devices. Individuals and organizations are simultaneously becoming more aware and active in this domain of healthy workplaces. To make an actual improvement within the work environment to reduce stress, a stronger knowledge base is required than is currently present. In this research, the relation between the workplace and stress is further investigated. The main research question is: “How can insights in the relation between workplace and activity on employee stress be used to develop a real estate decision-making model?” Research method: By conduction an operational-empirical research, the research questions are investigated. The operations research develops a model that can be used by real estate managers in the process of forming accommodation strategies. The empirical research is needed to form the required input for the operational model. This input is the quantified correlations between stress and the work environment. To obtain the input, a method is developed based on structured observations, using a smart wearable device to get a bio-metric for stress through sensor data.Goals and objectives: The goal of the research is to help employees reduce their stress within the work environment. To scope the goal, the research will focus on the knowledge base on the correlation between stress and the workplace. The objectives of the research are to provide a tool in the form of an operational model for Real Estate Managers to help reduce stress, by getting a better understanding of the relation between workplace and stress.Key findings and conclusion: The developed method of using a smart ring in combination with a structured observation design resulted in a feasible method for doing stress measurments in the work environment. The outcomes of the stress measurements can be operationalized into a real estate decision-making model, but the usability of the model output is still to be reaserched. Current findings mainly support existing findings from literature, with a main focus on the importance of privacy and control as a factor in the forming of stress. Due to the non-random nature of employee workplace choices, it is not possible to expect findings on all possible workplace characteristics. Future research with an increased sample size or based on intervention testing with the developed method could improve the creation of insights in the relation of stress in the work environment.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Management in the Built Environmen