Mind Your Space! Desk Sharing Working Environments and Employee Commitment in Austria

This paper empirically examines the influence of desk sharing on the various forms of employee commitment. Previous literature has examined the influence of innovative workspace on employee satisfaction as well as the possible the benefits and disadvantages of desk sharing, but not the influence desk sharing may have on employee commitment. Our study examines the level of commitment in organisations that apply desk sharing compared to those with traditional office settings, finding that desk sharing does not necessarily have a negative influence on commitment. Indeed, desk sharing employees show higher level of affective commitment when applied moderately. However, a radical application of desk sharing leads to lower commitment; thus, when applying desk sharing it is important to consider the specific conditions, organizational needs as well as managerial example. The findings point to a number of implications relating to the application of desk sharing and other flexible office settings.