The Workspace as a Factor of Job Satisfaction in the Banking Industries in Macedonia

The motivation and satisfaction of employees, has been a challenge for businesses and academia alike to explore. One part of the academic world underlines monetary rewards as an extrinsic motivational tool, whilst others say that it has a limited effect on the employees’ overall performance and that a well designed workspace environment shows much better results in relation to one’s job satisfaction and performance (Ouedraogo & Leclerc, 2013). However, the research carried out in EU companies reveals that although the relationship between the workspace and job satisfaction has been investigated from the perspectives of sociology, psychology, management and medicine, there has been a lack of research from the standpoint of architecture and interior design (Danielsson & Bodin, 2008). Although there is a rising awareness of the importance of this issue among human resource departments in EU companies, knowledge and awareness in Macedonian companies remains unexamined. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the physical workspace environment and the job satisfaction of employees in the banking industry in Macedonia. Using a specially designed survey based on existing research carried out in EU companies, the job satisfaction of employees was evaluated in the context of their workspace. This research also analyzed the architectural characteristics of office buildings, office layout and office décor. The findings show that there is a positive correlation between job satisfaction and the opportunity for the personalization of office space. Designated space for formal or informal meetings also positively influences job satisfaction. Negative correlations were evident between job satisfaction and elements determining a defocus from work. Tenure and satisfaction with office space were also negatively correlated with tenure at the same work station. The results were compared against findings from relevant EU research done in the field, and as a result recommendations have been made on how to increase job satisfaction among bank employeesthrough workspace design.