Press Releases
Workplace improvement key to treating stress epidemic, research reveals
Thursday 6th January 2005
New research into employees' attitudes towards their workplace today reveals the startling impact the office environment can have on staff morale and business productivity.
New research into employees' attitudes towards their workplace today reveals the startling impact the office environment can have on staff morale and business productivity.
According to the research, commissioned by workplace specialists Morgan Lovell, over half of employees admit they have considered taking time off or even resigning because of an unsatisfactory office. With staff absence from stress estimated to cost British business £11.6bn a year , equally sobering is the news that over 70% of British office-workers complain that an ugly, noisy or poorly-planned workspace is what causes them the most stress at work.
Morgan Lovell believes that the research, of over 2,000 people across a range of sectors of British business, demonstrates a clear link between the workplace, staff morale and productivity.
David Henderson, Managing Director, Morgan Lovell, said: "With British companies facing an increasing 'war for talent', and with many sectors investing significant funds in individuals through exams and training, acknowledging the very real role the workplace plays in terms of staff recruitment and retention is ever-more important. In this research, employees are issuing a wake-up call to business to make the link between the working environment, employee welfare and thereby commercial productivity."
Whilst official figures show that staff absence costs British business £11.6bn a year a study by the Corporate Health Performance group in October 2004 indicated that that underperformance of staff when at work may be even more damaging. Worryingly, in light of this, Morgan Lovell's research shows that only one in ten employees feels motivated by their workspace and nine out of ten get to have no say on how to improve the working environment.
Mr Henderson commented: "Workplace stress is commonly perceived as symptomatic of a competitive market place and as such, unsolvable. But our analysis of working environments over 25 years has shown that the workspace itself has a major impact on stress and this, happily, is something we can do a lot about."
"Minimising stress and providing an inspiring workspace is key to both staff absenteeism and underperformance. From a company director's point of view, this can be achieved without resort to major cost-prohibitive changes. Often businesses can actually use less space than they currently pay for and simply make it more conducive to productivity through intelligent space-planning."
Other findings from the research included:
- Less than one in seven British office workers say they have a comfortable chair and desk
- A third of employees say they feel no pride in their workspace ? and say it adds to their stress
- One in four employees claim they would feel more committed to their employer if improvements were made to their workspace 15% of employees say they feel envious of friends' workspaces
- One in ten employees say they may consider looking for a new job if their workspace isn't improved
Editor's note:
Morgan Lovell is the UK's leading provider of design, fit out and refurbishment solutions for the workplace. It is a member of construction brands group Morgan Sindall plc, which operates a national network of fit-out, regional construction, affordable housing and infrastructure services divisions.