| Author: | Tang, Ming-hang |
| Title: | Preference towards alternative workplace |
| Degree: | M.Eng. |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations. Work environment. Home labor. |
| Department: | Department of Building Services Engineering |
| Pages: | viii, 118 leaves ; 30 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The issue of whether to adopt alternative workplace strategies has aroused a great deal of controversy in recent years. The preferences of workers towards alternative workplace have, however, yet to be explored. This dissertation presents the findings of an empirical study of the preferences of workers in Hong Kong associated with alternative workplace and the relative importance of different key factors influencing their decisions. Factor analysis was used to identify the key factors while Likert-scale rating and discrete choice analysis were employed to reveal the relative importance and the order of importance perceived and evaluated by the local workers. From the two questionnaire surveys conducted in the study, 'working environment', 'personal benefits brought by working at home', 'perception of supervisor and colleague' and 'company policy towards working at home' were found to be the key factors influencing individuals' decisions on whether to choose from working at home. The results indicate that although local workers perceived that 'working environment' and 'personal benefits brought by working at home' were the most important factors while 'perception of supervisor and colleague' was only perceived to be relatively less significant, they actually took all these three factors into account when choosing whether to work at home. It was also found that personal benefits related to time use and money were considered to be of primary importance. The results further reveal that even though local workers do have a desire to work at home, they tend to choose to work at home only under favorable conditions, and that alternative workplace strategies are not prevalent in Hong Kong. The low adoption of alternative workplace strategies is not due to a lack of preference. Rather, external factors such as working environment and perception of supervisor and colleague appear to be of primary importance. The long-term significance of this study is that it enhances the understanding of the decision making process of local workers associated with alternative workplace. This enhanced understanding should help policy makers in organizations implement appropriate company policy, business strategies and facility management strategies so as to provide a user-friendly and cost-effective working environment for their employees as well as to meet employees' preferences. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b19736782.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 9.48 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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