Work output

Work output is the result of work carried out by people using equipment over a certain unit of time.

If both the output (product) and input (e.g. quantity of materials, machine hours and staff working hours) are quantifiable, it can be measured as work productivity.

The work output of employees is influenced by factors such as the attitude, capability and willingness of staff as regards their duties and most importantly by external factors such as the Ergonomics of the working environment. At an ergonomic workplace, the climate, Lighting conditions, noise profile and spatial workspace Design will each satisfy the requirements of a user-centred working environment. Tools and work scenarios must also be adapted to the needs of personnel.

Working environments that have been ergonomically optimised deliver improvements not just in terms of work output, but also the quality of the work. By contrast, if an employee feels ill at ease, his work output can drop by up to 25 percent. A working environment with a poor ergonomic profile can result in a 30 to 40 percent decrease in work output.

The term 'work output' as used in ergonomics is fundamentally different from the terms 'work' (work = output per unit of time) and 'output' (output =) as used in a scientific context and cannot be derived from these.