Developing a new cognitive workload assessment equation for office staff

Qualified labor requirement is increasing day by day with the spreading information technology. The task's requirements also change from physical dimensions to cognitive ones. Comprehensive analysis and evaluation methods are required for the cognitive weighted works. Evaluation of the cognitive workload weighted works are more complex and difficult than the physical weighted works. The utilized methods and techniques in analyzing of the physical (muscular) weighted tasks and evaluating the performance of people who work in this kind of work until now, are inadequate in measuring jobs requiring cognitive effort. Therefore, there is not accepted metric for measuring cognitive workload. In this study, a new equation was developed to be used in determining the cognitive workload. The equation is obtained through the tasks that are about detailed analysis and reporting financial statements of customers are performed by selected employees. Within the frame of equation, which is formed in accordance with the analysis and evaluation of work involved, work satisfaction levels of employees, their performance criteria, personal learning capacity, physiological measurements environmental factors and the cognitive bias parameter have been taken into consideration during the cognitive measurements. This model, which could be a criterion of the cognitive fatigue, while representing the dozens of design alternatives to the same tasks during the mission, will also be a helpful tool for the work design. At the end of the study test problems are formed from various job descriptions. Then, the validation of the recommended equation has been verified.