The Effects of Status Symbols in the Office on Employee Attitudes in a Human Service Agency

Office symbolism has received a great deal of attention in human service administration as a variable that affects employee behavior and performance. Yet, the detailed relationship between various status symbols in the office and employee attitudes is not fully understood. This study hypothesizes that the physical setting of the workplace is a motivating force because it is a manifestation of status in an agency and that status symbols in the office can affect employees’ work-related attitudes. Specifically, it examines the symbolic meaning of status symbols in an office setting and the extent to which those status symbols affect employee job satisfaction and perceived performance. Survey data were collected from 508 employees in a state human service agency in the United States. The results found that satisfaction with status symbols in an office setting seemed to have a significant influence on employee job satisfaction and perceived performance, even after controlling for traditional motivational variables such as satisfaction with pay and supervisory support.