Workspace characteristics, behavioral interferences, and screening ability as joint predictors of employee reactions: An examination of the intensification approach

This study explored the joint moderating (i.e. intensifying) effect of two central workspace characteristics (i.e. number of people and number of enclosures) on the relationships between behavioral interferences and affective responses among individuals with high and low ability to screen. One hundred and fifty‐two clerical employees from a large university participated in the study. The results suggest that individual reactions to behavioral interferences at work (i.e. work fatigue and psychosomatic complaints) are intensified by the joint presence of few enclosures and high number of people in the setting; however, this intensification effect appears to hold primarily among individuals with low screening ability. Thus, the joint moderating effect of workspace characteristics itself appears to be buffered (i.e. moderated) by personal ability to screen. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.