THE RELATIONSHIP OF WORKPLACE DESIGN ON EMPLOYEES’ PERCEIVED PRODUCTIVITY: A CASE OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Faiza Sharif  and Saqib Sharif 
ABSTRACT
This study examines degree of job satisfaction of the faculty and staff members working in the public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of Karachi, specifically with the workplace design and its impact on the perceived employee productivity. The independent variables of the study are Office Layout (furniture, equipment, and office type) and Physical Environment (temperature, lighting, noise, aesthetics, and aroma) with an intervening variable of Job Satisfaction which has sub constructs of employee attitude towards work, comfort, and level of communication. Perceived Employee Productivity is the dependent variable. Questionnaires were distributed to 400 faculty and staff members working in different HEIs. The study applies ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and regression analysis on the collected data. The results indicate that a better workplace environment motivates employees and produces better results. However, office layout significantly affects job satisfaction than the physical environment as employee is in immediate contact with the furniture office equipment and the type of office. Besides, both office layout and physical environment has significantly positive impact on employee productivity. The demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and income showed no significant impact on employee productivity. Moreover, regression analysis suggests that job satisfaction with the work environment is significant predictor of employee productivity in the HEIs. 
KEYWORDS: Workplace Design, Job Satisfaction, Employee productivity, Higher Education Institutions, Physical Environment