PhD research
Smart and Hybrid Workplaces from the Perspective of Municipal Employees
by Deniz Tuzcuoglu
This doctoral dissertation investigates:
‘How do municipal employees experience and respond to smart and hybrid workplace transitions in terms of expectations, preferences, and workplace choices?’
To answer this question, this dissertation employed a mixed-methods through two data collections:
Part A – qualitative research with the employees of the Municipality of Eindhoven,
Part B – quantitative research with the employees of the Municipalities of Almere, Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
Part A
Eleven in-depth semi-structured interviews and participatory observations were conducted with the employees from the Municipality of Eindhoven following their relocation to a smart and sustainable office building ‘Stadhuistoren’.
The aim was to understand how employees experience and expect from smart office workplaces during relocation. Findings revealed that smartness is not defined only by technology but also by how well the workplace supports everyday tasks, adapts to individual needs, and enables interaction between users and the building.
Employees distinguished between basic and smart aspects of the workplace, with the fulfilment of basic needs emerging as a prerequisite before appreciating smart aspects (features). The findings show that habituating to a new (smart) workplace environment unfolded in four phases of transition: pre-relocation, confrontational, progressive, and stabilised. These phases reflect how employees’ relationships with the new environment evolve and how workplace attachments form over time. Emotional responses and workplace attachments varied, showing that relocation is not a uniform process but one shaped by expectations, communication, and organisational support.
Research Output (PART A)
Tuzcuoğlu, D., Yang, D., De Vries, B., Sungur, A., & Appel-Meulenbroek, H. A. J. A. (2021). The phases of user experience during relocation to a smart office building: A qualitative case study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 74, Article 101578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101578
Tuzcuoğlu, D., De Vries, B., Yang, D., & Sungur, A. (2023). What is a smart office environment? An exploratory study from a user perspective. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 25(2), 118-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-12-2021-0041
Tuzcuoğlu, D., Yang, D., de Vries, B., & Sungur, A. (2020). Social interaction in an office environment: A qualitative study after relocation to a smart office. In Transdisciplinary Workplace Research Conference 2020 (pp. 355-364) http://www.twrnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TWR2020_Future_Workspaces_Ed2.pdf
Windlinger, L., & Tuzcuoğlu, D. (2021). Usability theory: Adding a user-centric perspective to workplace management. In R. Appel-Meulenbroek, & V. Danivska (Eds.), A Handbook of Management Theories and Models for Office Environments and Services (pp. 173-183). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003128786-15
Part B
A quantitative research was conducted with 1,812 municipal employees from the Municipalities of Amsterdam, Almere, and Eindhoven, examining how employees make workplace choices in hybrid contexts.
Discrete choice experiment revealed that both home and office attributes strongly influence decisions, and that employee preferences for the office-workplace attributes differ between Flexible Workdays (optional office attendance) and Office Workdays (mandatory attendance). Commuting time and the type of office occupants were most influential, while office aesthetics and workspace access had a minor impact. The findings identified two distinct groups of employees with their own shared hybrid workplace preferences: a home-preferring and an office-preferring group, related to personal characteristics (age, educational level), living conditions, and workplace satisfaction.
Overall, this dissertation introduces that successful workplace strategies must address both fundamental needs and smart (motivational) expectations, while integrating design, change management, and hybrid planning.
Research Outputs (PART B)
–WorkplaceTool (Office Workday)
Tuzcuoğlu, D., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Borgers, A. W. J., Arentze, T. A., & Sungur, A. (2025). Differences in preferences for office attributes in hybrid working: Office versus Flexible Workdays. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 104, Article 102587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102587
Tuzcuoğlu, D., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Borgers, A. W. J., Arentze, T. A., & Sungur, A. (2025). Home or Office? The impact of home and office attributes on workplace choice decisions in hybrid working. Building and Environment, 282, Article 113254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113254
Tuzcuoğlu, D., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Borgers, A. W. J., Arentze, T. A., & Sungur, A. (2024). How do workplace features at the office and at home determine workplace choice during a flexible workday? In Proceedings of the 4th Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) Conference (pp. 71-84). Edinburgh Napier University. https://napier-repository.worktribe.com/output/3964152/proceedings-of-the-4th-transdisciplinary-workplace-research-twr-conference-4th-7th-september-2024-edinburgh-uk
Tuzcuoğlu, D., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Borgers, A. W. J., Arentze, T. A., & Sungur, A. (2024). Two types of hybrid workers: How personal traits, living conditions, and workplace satisfaction shape preferences. In Proceedings of Eurofm Conference.
