This study discusses employees’ perception of a rather new and progressive office type, namely the Activity-based Flexible Office, the A-FO. Within this office type, the employee does not have a personal desk, but instead changes workspace depending on the task at hand. The aim of the study was to examine how employees perceive this type of office and their experiences of working within it. In previous research, a model has been created within this field as an attempt towards a theoretical framework, the A-FO-M. Whereas studying this model, we saw some notions not being thoroughly explored, although mentioned in other preceding research. Thus, the need of exploring these aspects further felt vital and therefore, we combined the A-FO-M with other preceding research and created a synthesis with a set off our themes. A qualitative method was chosen and furthermore, a phenomenological approach. This approach suggests examining a certain phenomena, the A-FO in this case, based on the experiences and perceptions of an individual, the employee. Interviews were implemented on a specific company to succeed in reaching our aim. The six interviews completed gave us the empirical results we needed to attain an analysis and thereafter, conclusions. Overall, our findings correspond with the presumptions of the A-FO-M. However, due to Klarna having a certain structure, somewhat differing from the traditional A-FO, the results were contradicting in some cases. The majority of the respondents felt they were able to perform their task without major problems. Some respondents felt that the office made them more open, while others did not feel any impact on their persona in relation to the A-FOs features. Our findings support that the A-FO is a very sociable office type, whereas you constantly meet and interact with people, both known and unknown to you. The respondents appreciate that there is little distance between them and their managers. Additionally, it is found that managers within A-FOs need to have high trust in their employees. Conclusively, some results may be somewhat dependent on the individual and their preferences.

Le monde du travail étant en constante évolution, l’utilisation des nouvelles technologies d’information et de communication a transformé les façons de travailler et permettent aujourd’hui l’adoption de nouvelles formes d’organisation du travail (New ways of working) plus flexibles offrant aux organisations de nombreux avantages notamment d’ordre financier, organisationnel, et environnemental. La vie professionnelle étant davantage numérique, informelle, flexible et mobile qu’auparavant, de nombreuses organisations ont adopté de nouvelles formes d’organisation du travail comme celle du lieu de travail basé sur l’activité (Activity-based flexible office). Le lieu de travail basé sur l’activité est caractérisé par l’ouverture de l’environnement de travail, l’utilisation flexible des espaces de travail liés à l’activité, le partage de poste de travail (poste de travail non assigné) et l’utilisation des technologies d’information et de communication. Bien que plusieurs recherches portent sur les nouvelles formes d’organisation du travail, peu de recherches portent sur l’influence du lieu de travail basé sur l’activité sur le bien-être, la satisfaction, la motivation et la performance des employés. Cette étude vise à explorer les effets d’un tel lieu de travail au niveau individuel. Plusieurs questions se posent. Est-ce que les employés travaillant dans un lieu de travail basé sur l’activité ont un niveau supérieur de bien-être au travail? Sont-ils plus satisfaits? Sont-ils plus motivés? Sont-ils plus performants? Afin de tenter de répondre à ces questions, cette étude s’inspire du modèle théorique de Wohlers et Hertel (2017). Ce modèle illustre, entre autres, les conséquences qu’un lieu de travail basé sur l’activité a sur le travail au niveau individuel. La recherche consiste en une étude de cas auprès d’une institution financière qui a réaménagé ses locaux et propose maintenant un aménagement décloisonné doté de postes de travail non assignés afin de permettre aux employés de choisir l’endroit de leur choix en fonction de la nature du travail à effectuer. Trente entretiens semi-dirigés ont été réalisés avec des employés clés. Les résultats de la recherche indiquent que le lieu de travail basé sur l’activité a des effets positifs au niveau individuel. Ainsi, de façon générale, les résultats mettent en évidence que cette forme d’organisation du travail a des effets positifs sur le bien-être, la satisfaction, la motivation et la performance des employés. / As the world of work is constantly evolving, the use of new information and communication technologies allows the adoption of new ways of working, more flexible solutions, that provide organizations with many benefits, such as financial, organizational and environmental benefits. As working life is more digital, informal, flexible and mobile than ever before, many organizations have adopted new ways of working such as the Activity-based flexible office. The activity-based flexible office is characterized by the openness of the work environment, the flexible use of activity-related workspaces, workstation sharing (unassigned workstation) and the use of information and communication technologies. Although many researches focus on new ways of working, there is little research on the influence of the activity-based flexible office on the well-being, satisfaction, motivation and performance of employees. This study aims to explore the effects of such a workplace at the individual level. Several questions arise. Do employees working in an activity-based flexible office have a higher level of well-being at work? Are they more satisfied? Are they more motivated? Do they perform better? In an attempt to answer these questions, this study is inspired by the theoretical model of Wohlers and Hertel (2017). This model illustrates, among other things, the consequences that an activity-based flexible office has on work at the individual level. The research consists of a case study of a financial institution that has redeveloped its premises and now offers an open-plan layout with unassigned workstations to allow employees to choose the location of their choice according to the nature of the work to be done. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with key employees. The research results indicate that the activity-based flexible office has positive effects at the individual level. Thus, in general, the results highlight that this form of work organization has positive effects on the well-being, satisfaction, motivation and performance of employees.