ABSTRACT
The open-plan layout is a form of physical occupation for an office used in Brazilian public sector agencies to maximize the occupation of physical space. However, the work environment should not only be adapted to the structural and cultural requirements of the organization, but also to employees’ needs. It should be understood that, when designing work environments, complementary approaches should be used to meet physical and behavioral needs. Ergonomic assessments were made in the offices of public sector companies in accordance with the systemic approach of the Ergonomic Methodology for Evaluating Built Space - MEAC (in Portuguese) (Villarouco, 2009), which analyses the physical space by linking physical-spatial evaluations closely to tools for identifying how the environment is perceived. The results showed that using open plan offices without observing these premises leads to users suffering various kinds of discomfort.
