Sammanfattning Introduktion: I dagens arbetsliv och samhälle har individen blivit allt mer stillasittande och minskat mängden motion med risk för sämre kondition trots att detta är en känd riskfaktor för sjukdom och nedsatt arbetsförmåga. Syftet med denna studie var att studera konditionsnivån hos kontorsanställda i förhållande till BMI, kön och ålder. Metod: En kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie har genomförts baserad på data från hälsoundersökning där BMI, kön, ålder och konditionstal undersöktes. 100 personer deltog i studien, varav 33 kvinnor och 67 män i åldern 25-63 år. Resultat: De kontorsanställda hade en god syreupptagningsförmåga på i genomsnitt 37,3 ml/(kg x min) och låg över det rekommenderade konditionstalet 35 ml/(kg x min) för kontorsarbetare. Kvinnorna i gruppen hade bättre konditionstal än männen. Medelålders kvinnor (41-50 år) hade något lägre konditionstal än yngre (25-40 år)och äldre kvinnor (51-63 år). Männen med högt BMI hade ett sämre konditionstal än dem med ett lägre BMI. Konklusion: Trots stillasittande arbete hade de kontorsanställda en god kondition och det ger förutsättningar att prestera ett bra resultat i arbetet. Kvinnorna hade ett bättre konditionstal än männen och högre BMI förknippades med lägre konditionstal. Företagssköterskan och företagshälsovården kan spela en viktig roll för att medverka till förbättrad kondition och lägre vikt bland anställda, vilket skulle gynna hälsan och arbetsförmågan. Nyckelord: BMI, konditionstal, kontorsanställda, syreupptagningsförmåga och ålder. / Summary Introduction: In modern working life and society, individual have become more and more sedentary and physical activity has decreased affecting the fitness level. This has occurred despite the common knowledge that a sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor associated with illness and decreased ability to work. The aim of the study was to study the fitness level of office workers in relation to BMI, sex, and gender. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional study has been done which included data from health checks including BMI, gender, age, and capacity of absorption of oxygen, which was expressed as fitness level (1-5). One hundred office workers participated in the study, 33 females and 67 males aged 25-63 years. Result: The office employees had a good capacity of absorption of oxygen, on average 37.3 ml/(kg x min), which was over the recommended fitness level 35 ml/(kg x min) for office employees. The females had a better fitness level than the males. Middle aged (41-50 years) women had somewhat lower fitness level than younger (25-40 years) and older (51-63 years)females. Men with high BMI had a lower fitness level than men with low BMI. Conclusion: The office employees had a good fitness level in spite of sedentary work and this gives conditions of performing well at work. The females had a better fitness level than the males and higher BMI was associated with lower fitness level. The company nurse and the occupational health service may play an important role in contributing to better fitness level and lower weight among office employees, which would promote health and working capacity. Keywords: Age, BMI, fitness level, office employees and oxygen uptake.

<p>The present thesis investigates environmental factors impact on office employees. More specifically, it investigates: 1) perception and experience of office environments, 2) satisfaction with office environments, and 3) health status and job satisfaction in connection to office environment. It is based on an empirical study with 491 office employees from twenty-six companies and divisions in larger companies. Each one respectively represents one of seven identified office-types in office design: cell-office, sharedroom office, small open plan office, medium open plan office, large open plan office, flex-office and combi-office. This study takes its basis in architecture, although an interdisciplinary approach from organizational and management theory, environmental psychology, and social and stress medicine has been used. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used.</p><p> In Article I a review of the different research fields that investigate environmental influences are presented with a focus on office environments. Different perspectives on the environmental impact on office employees are investigated.</p><p>In Article II an analysis of office environment based on the employee’s perception and experience of the architecture is done based on in-depth interviews using a method originally developed by Kevin Lynch (1960). The method measures the "imagebility" of a space, rated by the users with following elements: landmark, node, path, edge and district. The result showed that the method, based on employees’ perception and use of space, is a possible tool in the design process to get a better understanding of where the elements that reinforce "imageability" most likely will appear in an office environment. The method thus gives a better idea of the future "imageability" of a space and could be useful as guidance in the design process of how the architectural design will be received by the users in the end.</p><p>In Article III employees’ satisfaction with the office environment in different office-types is investigated. The article focuses on three domains: 1) Ambient factors, 2) Noise and Privacy and 3) Designrelated factors. The statistical analysis was done using a logistic regression model with multivariate analysis. Adjustment was done for: age, gender, job rank, job satisfaction and market division. The results show differences in satisfaction with the office environment between employees in different office-types, many of which were statistically significant. When differences persist in the multivariate analysis they can possibly be ascribed to the office-type. Results show that employees in cell-offices are prominently most satisfied followed by those in flex-offices. Cell-offices rate only low on social aspects of Design-related factors. A major finding is internal differences between different office-types where employees share workspace and facilities. The medium and large open plan offices could be described as high-risk officetypes.</p><p>In Article IV differences between employees in different office-types with regard to health, wellbeing and job satisfaction are analyzed. A multivariate analysis of the data was done with adjustment for the confounders: age, gender, job rank and market division. The results show that there are risks of ill health and poor well-being in medium and small open plan offices. Employees in these office-types show significantly higher risks compared with those in other office-types. In medium open plan and combioffices the employees show the highest prevalence of low job satisfaction. The best chance for good health status and job satisfaction is among employees in cell-offices and flex-offices; there are, however, internal differences in distribution on different outcome variables for job satisfaction. The major finding of these studies is that there are significant differences with regard to satisfaction with office environments as well as health status and job satisfaction between employees in different office-types; differences that can possibly can be ascribed to the office-types as they persist after adjustment for important confounders.</p>

The South African hospitality industry, and more specifically the accommodation sector, is a booming industry within South African Tourism. Annually thousands of tourists, nationally and internationally, come to stay in accommodation establishments which offer a variety of services to guests (South Africa, 2009:499). What differentiates one accommodation establishment from another is the type and quality of service offered to guests. This service offered to guests can only be generated by manual labour, namely by employees. Front Office Employees in particular have direct and continual interaction with guests; Front Office Employees deliver the services required by guests and ultimately determine the satisfaction experienced by guests. A well–known saying goes "Happy workers make happy customers". The core of this saying is therefore that Front Office Employees, who experience a Quality of Work Life, will ultimately deliver exceptional service and lead the accommodation establishment to be more productive and more profitable. Quality of Work Life comprises a variety of life domains which need to be satisfied and fulfilled to result in an employer being happy. These life domains include Health and safety, Economic and family issues, Social issues, Esteem issues, Actualisation issues, Knowledge issues, Creativity and aesthetic issues, Feelings about the establishment, Management and Leisure issues. Satisfaction with these various life domains will therefore lead to a good Quality of Work Life and overall good Quality of Life being experienced. However, few studies have been conducted on the Quality of Work Life experienced within accommodation establishments and more specifically that of Front Office Employees. When employees experience a good Quality of Work Life, the accommodation establishment can expect various long–term advantages, such as higher employee productivity, lower turnover and absenteeism, increased loyalty and commitment towards the establishment and increased overall profitability. Hence in order to ensure accommodation establishments deliver excellent quality service to their guests and fulfil their needs entirely, it is essential to better understand the Front Office Employees who directly deal with the guests. This understanding can be gained by obtaining a clearer understanding of how Front Office Employees experience Quality of Work Life and the various life domains they are not satisfied with. By developing an in–depth knowledge of the Front Office Employee and how satisfied they are with their Quality of Work Life, greater satisfaction can be ensured, which will ultimately lead to the accommodation establishment being more productive and more profitable. The main goal of this study was to determine whether Front Office Employees are satisfied with their overall Quality of Work Life. In order to achieve this goal, the study comprises two articles. The research underpinning both of the articles was conducted at a specific South African resort group in June 2009 and a specific hotel group of South Africa in March 2010. A self–administrated questionnaire was distributed to the various units, according to an availability sampling method which focuses on respondents available and willing to fill in the questionnaire. A total of two hundred and ninety two (292) questionnaires were completed during the survey. From these questionnaires, data were obtained and results analysed. The first article was titled "Quality of Work Life: a comparative study of a resort group and hotel group Front Office Employees". The main purpose of this article was to determine whether Front Office Employees in the hotel group experience the same degree of Quality of Work Life as the resort group Front Office Employees. This article highlighted the importance of Front Office Employees, since they are the first and continual contact guests have with an accommodation establishment. These Front Office Employees therefore determine the type of service experienced by guests and the satisfaction they derive from it. In order for Front Office Employees to deliver quality service, the Front Office Employees should experience a Quality of Work Life. To achieve the objectives of this article, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was first done to confirm the various life domains of Quality of Work Life as well as the various mean readings for each life domain. In addition to this, an independent t–test was performed to compare the Front Office Employees of the hotel group, with the resort group Front Office Employees with regard to how they experience their Quality of Work Life. The practical significance of the various life domains was determined in practice, by looking at the Cohen d–value. By means of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis it was determined that each life domain consisted of certain factors, ultimately leading to the concept of Quality of Work Life. With the comparison drawn between the hotel group Front Office Employees and the resort group Front Office Employees can it be accepted that the hotel group Front Office Employees are more satisfied with their Quality of Work Life than is the case with the resort group Front Office Employees. The life domains identified as having a practical visible difference effect in practice were determined. These results can therefore be utilized by human resource managers in accommodation establishments as areas on which to focus in order to improve the Quality of Work Life offered to Front Office Employees and thus the quality of service rendered to guests, which would then inevitably have an impact on the profitability of the establishment. The second article was titled "The effect of leisure life of hotel group Front Office Employees on their Quality of Work Life." The main purpose of this article was to determine the overall effect of leisure life, which is classified as one of the life domains of Quality of Work Life, on the various other life domains of Quality of Work Life. The life domain Leisure life had two factors which were identified by a confirmatory factor analysis. Once the factors had been confirmed, the relationship between Leisure life and the various other life domains were determined. The results of this research revealed that there is a relationship between leisure life and the other various life domains constituting Quality of Work Life. Hence the results are imperative for human resource managers of accommodation establishments, as the importance of leisure in Front Office Employees' lives as well as the various other life domains on which it has an impact have been indicated. Overall, the research revealed that Front Office Employees of the hotel group are more satisfied with their Quality of Work Life than is the case with the Front Office Employees of the resort group. Furthermore, the importance of Front Office Employees' leisure life was indicated by the relationship it has with the various other life domains, ultimately leading to a Quality of Work Life. This newly obtained knowledge of Front Office Employees of accommodation establishments can be applied by human resource managers in an effort to ensure that these employees experience a good Quality of Work Life which will lead the accommodation establishment to be more productive, efficient and profitable due to happier employees. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The South African hospitality industry, and more specifically the accommodation sector, is a booming industry within South African Tourism. Annually thousands of tourists, nationally and internationally, come to stay in accommodation establishments which offer a variety of services to guests (South Africa, 2009:499). What differentiates one accommodation establishment from another is the type and quality of service offered to guests. This service offered to guests can only be generated by manual labour, namely by employees. Front Office Employees in particular have direct and continual interaction with guests; Front Office Employees deliver the services required by guests and ultimately determine the satisfaction experienced by guests. A well–known saying goes "Happy workers make happy customers". The core of this saying is therefore that Front Office Employees, who experience a Quality of Work Life, will ultimately deliver exceptional service and lead the accommodation establishment to be more productive and more profitable. Quality of Work Life comprises a variety of life domains which need to be satisfied and fulfilled to result in an employer being happy. These life domains include Health and safety, Economic and family issues, Social issues, Esteem issues, Actualisation issues, Knowledge issues, Creativity and aesthetic issues, Feelings about the establishment, Management and Leisure issues. Satisfaction with these various life domains will therefore lead to a good Quality of Work Life and overall good Quality of Life being experienced. However, few studies have been conducted on the Quality of Work Life experienced within accommodation establishments and more specifically that of Front Office Employees. When employees experience a good Quality of Work Life, the accommodation establishment can expect various long–term advantages, such as higher employee productivity, lower turnover and absenteeism, increased loyalty and commitment towards the establishment and increased overall profitability. Hence in order to ensure accommodation establishments deliver excellent quality service to their guests and fulfil their needs entirely, it is essential to better understand the Front Office Employees who directly deal with the guests. This understanding can be gained by obtaining a clearer understanding of how Front Office Employees experience Quality of Work Life and the various life domains they are not satisfied with. By developing an in–depth knowledge of the Front Office Employee and how satisfied they are with their Quality of Work Life, greater satisfaction can be ensured, which will ultimately lead to the accommodation establishment being more productive and more profitable. The main goal of this study was to determine whether Front Office Employees are satisfied with their overall Quality of Work Life. In order to achieve this goal, the study comprises two articles. The research underpinning both of the articles was conducted at a specific South African resort group in June 2009 and a specific hotel group of South Africa in March 2010. A self–administrated questionnaire was distributed to the various units, according to an availability sampling method which focuses on respondents available and willing to fill in the questionnaire. A total of two hundred and ninety two (292) questionnaires were completed during the survey. From these questionnaires, data were obtained and results analysed. The first article was titled "Quality of Work Life: a comparative study of a resort group and hotel group Front Office Employees". The main purpose of this article was to determine whether Front Office Employees in the hotel group experience the same degree of Quality of Work Life as the resort group Front Office Employees. This article highlighted the importance of Front Office Employees, since they are the first and continual contact guests have with an accommodation establishment. These Front Office Employees therefore determine the type of service experienced by guests and the satisfaction they derive from it. In order for Front Office Employees to deliver quality service, the Front Office Employees should experience a Quality of Work Life. To achieve the objectives of this article, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was first done to confirm the various life domains of Quality of Work Life as well as the various mean readings for each life domain. In addition to this, an independent t–test was performed to compare the Front Office Employees of the hotel group, with the resort group Front Office Employees with regard to how they experience their Quality of Work Life. The practical significance of the various life domains was determined in practice, by looking at the Cohen d–value. By means of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis it was determined that each life domain consisted of certain factors, ultimately leading to the concept of Quality of Work Life. With the comparison drawn between the hotel group Front Office Employees and the resort group Front Office Employees can it be accepted that the hotel group Front Office Employees are more satisfied with their Quality of Work Life than is the case with the resort group Front Office Employees. The life domains identified as having a practical visible difference effect in practice were determined. These results can therefore be utilized by human resource managers in accommodation establishments as areas on which to focus in order to improve the Quality of Work Life offered to Front Office Employees and thus the quality of service rendered to guests, which would then inevitably have an impact on the profitability of the establishment. The second article was titled "The effect of leisure life of hotel group Front Office Employees on their Quality of Work Life." The main purpose of this article was to determine the overall effect of leisure life, which is classified as one of the life domains of Quality of Work Life, on the various other life domains of Quality of Work Life. The life domain Leisure life had two factors which were identified by a confirmatory factor analysis. Once the factors had been confirmed, the relationship between Leisure life and the various other life domains were determined. The results of this research revealed that there is a relationship between leisure life and the other various life domains constituting Quality of Work Life. Hence the results are imperative for human resource managers of accommodation establishments, as the importance of leisure in Front Office Employees' lives as well as the various other life domains on which it has an impact have been indicated. Overall, the research revealed that Front Office Employees of the hotel group are more satisfied with their Quality of Work Life than is the case with the Front Office Employees of the resort group. Furthermore, the importance of Front Office Employees' leisure life was indicated by the relationship it has with the various other life domains, ultimately leading to a Quality of Work Life. This newly obtained knowledge of Front Office Employees of accommodation establishments can be applied by human resource managers in an effort to ensure that these employees experience a good Quality of Work Life which will lead the accommodation establishment to be more productive, efficient and profitable due to happier employees. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

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The present thesis investigates environmental factors impact on office employees. More specifically, it investigates: 1) perception and experience of office environments, 2) satisfaction with office environments, and 3) health status and job satisfaction in connection to office environment. It is based on an empirical study with 491 office employees from twenty-six companies and divisions in larger companies. Each one respectively represents one of seven identified office-types in office design: cell-office, sharedroom office, small open plan office, medium open plan office, large open plan office, flex-office and combi-office. This study takes its basis in architecture, although an interdisciplinary approach from organizational and management theory, environmental psychology, and social and stress medicine has been used. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. In Article I a review of the different research fields that investigate environmental influences are presented with a focus on office environments. Different perspectives on the environmental impact on office employees are investigated. In Article II an analysis of office environment based on the employee’s perception and experience of the architecture is done based on in-depth interviews using a method originally developed by Kevin Lynch (1960). The method measures the "imagebility" of a space, rated by the users with following elements: landmark, node, path, edge and district. The result showed that the method, based on employees’ perception and use of space, is a possible tool in the design process to get a better understanding of where the elements that reinforce "imageability" most likely will appear in an office environment. The method thus gives a better idea of the future "imageability" of a space and could be useful as guidance in the design process of how the architectural design will be received by the users in the end. In Article III employees’ satisfaction with the office environment in different office-types is investigated. The article focuses on three domains: 1) Ambient factors, 2) Noise and Privacy and 3) Designrelated factors. The statistical analysis was done using a logistic regression model with multivariate analysis. Adjustment was done for: age, gender, job rank, job satisfaction and market division. The results show differences in satisfaction with the office environment between employees in different office-types, many of which were statistically significant. When differences persist in the multivariate analysis they can possibly be ascribed to the office-type. Results show that employees in cell-offices are prominently most satisfied followed by those in flex-offices. Cell-offices rate only low on social aspects of Design-related factors. A major finding is internal differences between different office-types where employees share workspace and facilities. The medium and large open plan offices could be described as high-risk officetypes. In Article IV differences between employees in different office-types with regard to health, wellbeing and job satisfaction are analyzed. A multivariate analysis of the data was done with adjustment for the confounders: age, gender, job rank and market division. The results show that there are risks of ill health and poor well-being in medium and small open plan offices. Employees in these office-types show significantly higher risks compared with those in other office-types. In medium open plan and combioffices the employees show the highest prevalence of low job satisfaction. The best chance for good health status and job satisfaction is among employees in cell-offices and flex-offices; there are, however, internal differences in distribution on different outcome variables for job satisfaction. The major finding of these studies is that there are significant differences with regard to satisfaction with office environments as well as health status and job satisfaction between employees in different office-types; differences that can possibly can be ascribed to the office-types as they persist after adjustment for important confounders. / QC 20101126