Recently more and more attention has been paid to copyright protection in Lithuania. As a result, quite a number of governmental institutions have faced a problem. Most of them use unlicensed software. The alternative way to legalize software is to use free of charge (open-coded) software. That is why the Lithuanian Ministry of Education encourages educational institutions to use stable open-coded localized programmes; Open Office Pack falls into this category. At the moment Microsoft Office Pack dominates the software market. Open Office is a direct competitor of Microsoft Office, because it is free of charge. In the course if writing this paper, we got acquainted with different office programme packs. The potential and compatibility of Microsoft Office and Open Office packs with each other as well as with various operating systems have been described. Also, some experimental research has been carried out. We aimed to find out the differences of acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical skills while working with each of the packs. 9 and 10th formers participated in the experimental research. They were introduced to the basics of working with the Microsoft Office Word, Open Office Writer, Open Office Calc and Microsoft Office Excel programmes. In the course of the experiment, the level of pupils’ theoretical knowledge before and after the teaching and practice stages was measured. Also, their acquired practical skills were assessed. We have also questioned 38 IT teachers... [to full text]

abstract: Employee wellbeing is a top concern for many organizations as its been linked to job performance and organizational commitment (Colquit, LePine, & Wesson, 2019). Research suggests that overall wellbeing is important to employees as well. Organizations are significantly investing into upgrading workplace environments, and there is a need for a clear understanding of how those improvements truly impact employee wellbeing. Current workplace research reveals that the open-office floorplan accounts for more than 70% of office layouts in the United States and is most commonly used for the benefits of collaboration and efficiency (Gallup, 2017). However, the open office layout ranks poorly in current employee wellbeing studies with a number of office environment stressors such as noise, distractions, and privacy concerns noted to impact employee wellbeing (C. Bodin-Danielsson, 2016; Haynes, Suckley, & Nunnington, 2017). The knowledge work performed in office environments require high amounts of cognitive tasks and when combined with filtering distractions in the workplace it can increase strains caused by common office stressors, thereby impacting employee wellbeing (Bridger & Brasher, 2011). This study will examine common stressors from the open office environment and compare employee’s perceptions of their work environment before and after renovations, as well as observations and behavioral mapping that record how the built environment influences the behaviors of the occupants. This research seeks to understand how wellbeing in the open office is affected by its different physical environmental settings, and how this environment influences employee’s behaviors. The end research goal is to see if there is a significant correlation of physical work environment and workplace behaviors that are common in the open office to help understand how the designed interior workplace impacts the wellbeing of its users. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2020

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<p>Denna uppsats behandlar en undersökning som gjordes efter det att en gymnasieskola i Örebro migrerat från Microsoft Office till Open Office. I studien undersöktes vilka för och nackdelar som lärare upplevde efter migrationen samt vilka problem som uppstod då öppen mjukvara används i en miljö som är dominerad av proprietär mjukvara.</p><p>Det tillvägagångssätt vi valt är en metodtriangulering där vi samlat in data med hjälp av tre olika insamlingsmetoder, en litteraturstudie, kvalitativa intervjuer och en kvantitativ enkät. Dessa insamlingsmetoder utformades så att litteraturstudien var av bredare karaktär och leder till att intervjuerna blir av mer specifik karaktär som i sin tur ger oss kvantitativa frågor till enkäten.</p><p>Det vi funnit under arbetets gång är att migrationen lett till interoperabilitetsproblem med existerande proprietära system och även att filer tolkats olika av de båda kontorspaketen. Lärarna såg större skillnader mellan de båda kontorspaketen är vad skolan och kommunen förutsett och tyckte att de mer avancerade funktionerna är svårare att använda i Open Office vi har även sett en efterfrågan utbildning.</p>

In open office settings, auditory distractions coming from surrounding work environment are shown to be a considerable source of indirect costs to an organization, such as performance costs, behavioral costs, and healthcare costs, to name a few. These costs are substantial to affect the net productivity of an organization, where productivity is equal to revenue minus the costs. This research argues that the costs of auditory distractions should be estimated when evaluating the value of a workspace for an organization. However, since organizational decisions are generally guided by cost-benefit analysis and a precise dollar figure cannot be attached to the stated indirect costs because these are subjective in nature; therefore, these are generally ignored. Costs that are critical to sustainability and development of a business and the fact that cost-benefit approach is no longer appropriate for these decisions, a more robust decision-based approach to workspace selection is proposed. Decision-based approach is seen as an organized approach to select between workspace options under uncertainty and risk wherein the selected workspace is maximized in terms of some expected utility. Here utility is defined as the measurement of strength or intensity of a person's preferences. Decision-based approach include consideration of a multitude of environmental decision variables, objective or subjective, in a single equation and processing of the same in a limited amount of time with rationality and consistency. A multi-attribute workspace choice utility decision model is developed with the intent to facilitate systematic understanding and analysis of workspace alternatives for an organization. This research shows how the decision-making approach to workspace selection simplifies the problem by providing a structure that is easily comprehensible, and allows simultaneous processing of both, qualitative and quantitative conflicting objectives, through a single decision-making model. In doing so, this research firmly establishes the importance of workspace's adaptability to auditory distractions for office workers, particularly knowledge workers, who are constantly undertaking a range of complex tasks. The study holistically and systematically addresses the fundamental issue prevalent in state-of-the-art North American open plan office settings of substantiality of two extremely contrasting requirements, concentration and collaboration, in the same workspace and work environment at a given time.

This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of workplace design and strategy solutions that have evolved over the last century. It will discuss the various factors which have prompted companies to take significant interest in the design and layout of their office space today. Additionally, this paper will discuss controversies over open office space design as well as the cubicle. I will further explore the possible direction corporate offices are headed in the future, and the prominent organizational trends that will reconstruct the way we understand the functions of the office and the buildings that house them. As the nature of work is evolving and people are spending more time in offices, it is vital that we find the best solutions to enhance their experiences and meet the physiological and psychological needs of the workforce.[1]This paper provides recommendations for improvement of office space and suggestions for combating past mistakes. [1] "Psychology Of The Office Space." Facility Executive - Creating Intelligent Buildings. February 09, 2016. Accessed April 22, 2018. https://facilityexecutive.com/2016/01/psychology-of-the-office-space/.

Denna uppsats behandlar en undersökning som gjordes efter det att en gymnasieskola i Örebro migrerat från Microsoft Office till Open Office. I studien undersöktes vilka för och nackdelar som lärare upplevde efter migrationen samt vilka problem som uppstod då öppen mjukvara används i en miljö som är dominerad av proprietär mjukvara. Det tillvägagångssätt vi valt är en metodtriangulering där vi samlat in data med hjälp av tre olika insamlingsmetoder, en litteraturstudie, kvalitativa intervjuer och en kvantitativ enkät. Dessa insamlingsmetoder utformades så att litteraturstudien var av bredare karaktär och leder till att intervjuerna blir av mer specifik karaktär som i sin tur ger oss kvantitativa frågor till enkäten. Det vi funnit under arbetets gång är att migrationen lett till interoperabilitetsproblem med existerande proprietära system och även att filer tolkats olika av de båda kontorspaketen. Lärarna såg större skillnader mellan de båda kontorspaketen är vad skolan och kommunen förutsett och tyckte att de mer avancerade funktionerna är svårare att använda i Open Office vi har även sett en efterfrågan utbildning.

Introduktion: Studien undersöker en arbetsplats i Försvarsmakten och hur arbetsplatsens utformning påverkar den psykosociala arbetsmiljön genom trivsel och arbetstillfredsställelse. Kontorsmiljön kan delas in i områden som fysisk utformning av ytor, belysning och rumsindelning samt psykosocial indelning som arbetsbelastning och störningar. Tidigare forskning visar att kontor som är små till medelstora öppna kontorslandskap, med fyra till nio respektive tio till 24 personer, har lägst upplevd hälsa och arbetstillfredsställelse medan arbetstagare med eget kontor av celltyp upplevde högst upplevd hälsa och arbets­tillfredsställelse. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka upplevelsen av trivsel och arbetstillfredsställelse på en arbetsplats med öppet kontorslandskap. Metod: Kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervjustudie med fyra respondenter. Resultat: Arbetstillfredsställelsen kan minska genom avbrott i arbetet orsakat av störningar. Trivsel och välbefinnande kan gynnas av en positiv arbetskultur som kan finnas på de arbetsplatser där medarbetare känner en stark samhörighet och kamratskap. Respondenterna trivs på arbetsplatsen tack vare att man uppskattar kollegorna och har goda relationer till dem. Diskussion/Slutsats: Omgivande ljud, rörelser och sociala interaktioner kan innebära avbrott i arbetet och avsaknaden av möjligheten att ha ostörd tid för arbete skapar frustration och minskad arbetstillfredsställelse. Motivationen är uttalat hög hos respondenterna vilket kan tyda på god trivsel. Genom att främja relationer och positiv arbetskultur och genom att skapa meningsfulla arbetsuppgifter kan motivation främjas på arbetsplatsen.Sammanhållningen inom det närmaste arbetslaget lyfts särskilt fram att vara den faktor som uppväger mycket av arbetsplatsens utmaningar. / Introduction: The study examines a workplace in the Swedish Armed Forces and how the design of the workplace affects the psychosocial environment through well-being and job satisfaction. The office environment is divided into the physical design of surfaces, lighting and room division, and psychosocial division such as workload and disturbances. Previous research shows that offices that are small to medium-sized open office landscapes, with four to nine people and ten to 24 people, respectively, have the lowest perceived health and job satisfaction, while workers with their own cell-type offices experienced the highest perceived health and job satisfaction. Aim: The aim was to investigate the experience of well-being and job satisfaction in a workplace with an open office landscape. Method: Qualitative semi-structured interview study with four respondents. Result: Job satisfaction can decrease through interruptions in work caused by disturbances. Well-being can benefit from a positive work culture that can exist in workplaces where employees feel a strong sense of belonging and camaraderie. The respondents enjoy the workplace thanks to valuing colleagues and having good relationships with them. Discussion/Conclusions: Ambient sounds, movements and social interactions can mean interruptions in work and the lack of the possibility of having undisturbed time for work creates frustration and reduced job satisfaction. The motivation is noticeably high among the respondents, which may indicate good well-being. By fostering relationships and positive work culture by creating meaningful tasks, motivation can be enhanced in the workplace. The cohesion within the immediate work team is particularly highlighted as the factor that outweighs many of the workplace's challenges.

Problembakgrund: Covid-19 innebar att många företag blev tvingade till att införa arbete på distans. Kontorslandskapen ekade tomma och många chefer stod inför en stor utmaning – att leda på distans. Denna förändring gjorde att medarbetare fick upp ögonen för att styra över sin egen tid, och många anställda uppskattar att fortfarande få jobba på distans. Detta innebär att företag idag står vid ett vägskäl om vilket arbetssätt som ska gälla. Hybridmodell är det nya arbetssättet som kombinerar arbete på plats och på distans. Ledarskapet sätts återigen på prov, för att hitta nya strategier och metoder för att leda i två arbetsmiljöer parallellt med varandra. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa förståelse för chefers ledarskap i en hybrid arbetsmiljö, och lyfta strategier i hur de kan balansera medarbetarnas behov med företagets intressen. Genom att undersöka hur pandemin har påverkat ledarskapet och medarbetarskapet, i avseende på tvingande distansarbete och vägen tillbaka till kontoret. Avsikten är att studien ska bidra med ny kunskap inom området ledarskap i relation till hybridarbete, genom att lyfta chefers erfarenheter och upplevelser med ledarskap i distans-och hybrid arbetsmiljö. Metod: Fallstudie Volvo cars, på plats, distans och hybrid. Kvalitativ metod, semistrukturerad intervju med fem chefer. Kvantitativ metod, enkät som besvarats av 28 medarbetare som ingår i chefernas team. Slutsats: Möjligheter med hybrid är att det kan vara en bra kompromiss mellan företag och medarbetare. Exempelvis om medarbetare upplever arbetsmiljön på arbetsplatsen som ett hinder för fokus och effektivitet med vissa arbetsuppgifter, medan de upplever att arbetsmiljön på arbetsplatsen gynnar samarbete och problemlösning. Detta visar studiens enkätundersökning. Det är också ett bra alternativ för att möta medarbetarnas behov av flexibilitet och mindre stress i vardagen. Att erbjuda flexibilitet anses attraktivt på arbetsmarknaden och att erbjuda det kan vara gynnsamt för företaget. Utmaning med en hybrid arbetsmodell är att det ställer höga krav på chefer. Intervjuer med chefer indikerar att förutsättningen för att det ska fungera är att ledare anammar ett situationsanpassat ledarskap och skapar strategier för att hantera flexibilitet. Dock finns det nyckelfaktorer som är avgörande för lyckat resultat: kommunikation, relationer, förtroende och socialt stöd. / Background: Covid-19 meant that many companies were forced to introduce remote work. The office landscape echoed empty, and many managers faced a major challenge - leading remotely. This change meant that employees began to realize the benefit of managing their own time, and many employees appreciate continuing to work remotely. This means that companies today are at a crossroad regarding which way of working will prevail. The hybrid model is the new way of working that combines on-site and remote work. Leadership is once again put to the test to find new strategies and methods to lead in two work environments simultaneously. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of managers' leadership in a hybrid work environment and to highlight strategies in how they can balance the needs of employees with the interests of the company. By examining how the pandemic has affected leadership and employee behavior, regarding the forced remote work and the path back to the office. The intention is that the study will provide new knowledge in the area of leadership in relation to hybrid work, by highlighting managers' experiences and perceptions of leadership in remote and hybrid work environments. Method: Case study of Volvo cars, on-site, remote, and hybrid. Qualitative method, semi-structured interview with five managers. Quantitative method, a questionnaire answered by 28 employees who are part of the managers' teams. Conclusion: The opportunities with hybrid are that it can be a good compromise between companies and employees. For example, if employees experience the work environment at the workplace as an obstacle to focus and efficiency with certain tasks, while they feel that the work environment at the workplace promotes collaboration and problem-solving. This is shown by the study's questionnaire survey. It is also a good option to meet employees' needs for flexibility and less stress in everyday life. Offering flexibility is considered attractive in the labor market, and offering it can be beneficial for the company. The challenge with a hybrid work model is that it places high demands on managers. Interviews with managers indicate that the prerequisite for it to work is that leaders adopt situationally adapted leadership and create strategies to manage flexibility. However, there are key factors that are crucial for successful results: Communication, relationships, trust and social support.

The importance of stress management is emphasized throughout this study as well as the need to cater stress management programmes to the unique needs of individuals. The possibility of introducing an animal-assisted stress management programme into the work environment is explored by means of a qualitative study in order to test out the feasibility of such an intervention. The positive physical and psychological effects animals have on humans has been extensively researched and reported. Eleven participants were randomly chosen from within the same department by means of purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were held with each participant and thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interviews. Various themes were identified and explored with the most prominent highlighting the need for privacy, respect and connection. Although animals do have positive effects on some employees, there are individual differences that need to be considered. An electronic animal-assisted stress management intervention is recommended. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)