How is your new office? A meta-analytic review of activity-based offices’ theoretical foundations and empirical outcomes

As organizations adopt cost-effective, space-saving office concepts, activity-based offices (ABOs) have become increasingly common. Yet, findings on their consequences for employees remain inconsistent and fragmented across disciplines. This study presents the first meta-analytic review to synthesize the theoretical arguments and quantitative
evidence on ABOs. Despite disciplinary diversity, the theoretical perspectives across the ABO literature converge on the idea that changes in the physical work environment
can influence job demands and resources, affective experiences and behavioural regulation. Our Bayesian analysis integrates 133 effect sizes from 35 studies (N = 7,959) across
diverse industries and countries. We find robust evidence that ABOs increase physical activity and coworker contact and decrease work stress while also increasing job demands.
However, the most often theorized outcomes, privacy and autonomy, remain uncertain. Boundary condition analyses revealed more favourable outcomes in private organizations
and when ABOs were compared to open offices. Overall, ABOs may be a mobility-and collaboration-promoting environment under certain conditions, but they are not a universal solution. We clarify where theoretical arguments converge with empirical evidence and provide guidance for the implementation of ABOs.