Unhappy Office Workers ‘Losing’ 90 Minutes Every Day

Employees who are unhappy with their office space clock up more than 90 minutes of wasted time every day. Around 25% of that lost time is caused by office workers being unnecessarily distracted from their what they are doing. Other reasons for the wasted time during a working day include:- • Looking for or storing files – 14% • Finding colleagues for a meeting – 12% • Finding a place to meet colleagues – 11% • Access to technology – 12% • Physical discomfort – 13% • Travel to and from buildings – 13% In a survey of 265 organisations to ascertain what workers want, it emerged that the average employee wastes 86 minutes per day. This increases to between 91 and 98m minutes if the employee does not have a comfortable workspace, cannot get easy access to documents and meeting spaces and feels unable to engage easily with colleagues. Oliver Ronald, Workplace Strategy Director at Steelcase Solutions, said: “the analysis of this research helps companies and businesses to make more informed decisions about the environment they create for employees. “If the basics of natural light, air quality, proper furniture is coupled with good access to what an employee needs, it is evident that the worker feels more empowered to make effective decisions, communicate better and come up with more creative and constructive ideas. “These factors have an impact on a company’s bottom line. An uninspired workforce can cost thousands of pounds per year, whereas a motivated and well equipped team will definitely improve the company’s performance. “We are increasingly seeing companies taking these factors into account when considering what to do with work space.”