Appendix

Observation Methods

  • Two members of the research team completed all observations together.

  • We used multiple tools to systematically document workplace affordances, physical traces, and employee behaviors:

    • Digital camera: Phone cameras captured physical traces in the workplace, following Zeisel’s (2006/1981) framework:​

      • By-products of use: Erosions, leftovers, missing traces​

      • Adaptations for use: Props, separations, connections​

      • Displays of self: Personalization, identification, group membership​

      • Public messages: Official, unofficial, illegitimate

    • Floorplans: We annotated floorplans of each space, noting observed behaviors such as heads-down work, socializing, virtual meetings, and breaks. Floorplans were unavailable for the public library, so we recorded spatial uses and behaviors on hand-drawn maps.

    • Affordance Matrix: Observations were recorded at three levels: ​

      • Office structure: Layout, intended uses, provided/movable furniture ​

      • Personal contributions: Work tools, displays of self, adaptations, public messages​

      • Behavior and activities: Noise levels, interpersonal interactions, movement patterns

    • To maintain objectivity, we separated raw observations from personal comments, ensuring our insights were not influenced by assumptions.

Survey

  • First, we looked to see if there were any significant differences between our participants in 2023 and our participants in 2024. We ran independent samples t-tests on each of our 12 variables, using a Bonferroni adjusted alpha of .004. A Welch’s t-test showed that participants in 2024 rated their main workspace as more physically comfortable (M = 4.03, SD = 0.87) than participants in 2023 (M = 3.67, SD = 1.04), t(328) = -3.66, p < .001. No other significant differences were found between samples.

    • Participants’ primary workspaces were:​

      • 50% an assigned workstation in an office​

      • 35% at home ​

      • 11% an unassigned workstation in an office​

    • Participants rated their workspaces highest in terms of physical comfort, with 67% agreeing that their workspace is physically comfortable.​

    • Participants rated their workspaces lowest in terms of privacy, with equal numbers of participants agreeing (42%) and disagreeing (41%) that their workspace affords privacy.

  • View results here.

    • When we looked at how people rated their workspaces by primary workspace type, we found several significant differences between people who work from home and people who work from an office. ​

    • ANOVAs showed significant effects of workspace type on:​

      • Feeling at home: F(2, 134.67) = 136.86, p < .001​

      • Physical comfort: F(2, 451) = 51.62, p < .001​

      • Ability to modify one’s environment: F(2, 135.57) = 108.89, p < .001​

      • Privacy: F(2, 133.08) = 270.43, p < .001​

      • Satisfaction: F(2, 448) = 60.28, p < .001​

    • Post-hoc tests showed that participants who work from home feel significantly more at home (M = 4.46, SD = 0.81) than office workers with assigned (M = 2.97, SD = 1.07) or unassigned (M = 3.08, SD = 1.11) desks, both p < .001. ​

    • Participants who work from home (M = 4.33, SD = 0.77) feel significantly more comfortable than office workers with assigned (M = 3.38, SD = 1.01) or unassigned desks (M = 3.61, SD = 0.98).​

    • Participants who work from home (M = 4.34, SD = 0.94) feel significantly more able to modify their environment than office workers with assigned (M = 2.90, SD = 1.07) or unassigned desks (M = 3.02, SD = 1.14).​

    • Participants who work from home (M = 4.43, SD = 0.88) have significantly more privacy than office workers with assigned (M = 2.22, SD = 1.06) or unassigned desks (M = 2.50, SD = 1.11).​

    • Participants who work from home (M = 4.19, SD = 0.90) feel significantly more satisfied with their work environments than office workers with assigned (M = 3.11, SD = 1.02) or unassigned desks (M = 3.37, SD = 0.99).​

    • Additionally, we found that participants who work from home (M = 4.07, SD = 0.96) think privacy is more important for hominess than office workers with assigned (M = 3.76, SD = 1.07) or unassigned desks (M = 3.61, SD = 1.02) (F(2, 452) = 6.29, p = .002)). ​

  • We ran an exploratory regression to understand what predicts greater workspace satisfaction. We regressed workspace satisfaction onto our study variables (elements and their importance to hominess—objects that reflect your memories and values, physical comfort, the ability to modify your environment, privacy, and familiarity with the space—and elements of participants’ workspaces that were evaluated—the extent to which participants feel they are reflected in their workspace, how much they feel at home in their workspace, their physical comfort, the ability to modify their workspace, and privacy), plus workspace type (home workspace, assigned workspace at an office, or unassigned workspace at an office). View results here. ​