Objective Understanding employee workspace preferences is crucial for designing office work environments that meet their needs. This study investigated employee office design preferences within a mandated hybrid work model at a higher education institution.

Methods In this discrete-choice experiment (DCE), operational support staff (N=433) at a university participated in evaluating 12 pairs of hypothetical office design options, each varying across seven workspace attributes from a DCE survey. Preference weights indicating the relative strength of preference for each workspace design attribute level were used to calculate the importance of each attribute, conditional on the range of levels considered and relative to all other attributes included in the survey. The conditional relative importance of each attribute was calculated as the difference in preference weights for the most- and least-preferred level of that attribute. Subgroup analysis was performed on predefined, mutually exclusive subgroups, with results reported only for those exhibiting statistically significant differences in preferences.

Results The results showed that having a dedicated desk (ie, no desk sharing) was an important factor influencing preferences, followed by personalization and territoriality, opportunities for teamwork, and social interaction. Employees preferred having access to shared spaces for collaboration while also valuing dedicated desks for personal belongings. Private offices and quiet spaces were not strongly preferred. Preferences varied by demographic and work-related characteristics, including gender, age, commute distance, and home environment.

Conclusions This study shows that operational support staff in higher education prefer office designs that provide a dedicated desk, emphasize personalization, and social interaction. The strong preference for control over workspace and social connection highlights the office`s role in supporting psychosocial well-being in flexible work arrangements. These findings are crucial for informing occupational health and safety strategies and designing workspaces that balance individual and collective requirements.

Key terms choice experiment; desk sharing; discrete choice experiment; employee workspace; higher education; hybrid work; office design; operational support staff; personalization; workspace preference

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