
Sick leave is associated with shared/open-space offices - e1g
http://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3167
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e1g
TLDR: Employees working in share/open-space offices tend to take 60%+ more
sick days than employees in private offices.

The research was done with 2,000 Dutch white-collar employees, and the
methodology controlled for age, job seniority, income, health, etc. The
researchers suggest 5 explanations for the increase in sick leave -

1\. Shared offices have more environment noise, and this leads to increased
stress and tension. But this factor impacts men, and doesn't hold up as well
for women.

2\. Shared offices tend to use mechanical ventilation, while private offices
tend to open windows for fresh air. But this didn't hold up for shared offices
with windows.

3\. Shared offices expose inhabitants to more viruses and bacteria from other
people. This could explain why people take 50% more sickies whether they share
the office with 1 person or 10.

4\. Shared offices may cause psychosocial/cultural and privacy issues for
people. But there is no strong evidence supporting or contradicting that.

5\. Shared offices can reduce employees’ autonomy if their co-workers and
leaders interfere too often. Lack of autonomy may be a stressor, as it is
related to burnout.

