Bored office workers 'gorge on coffee'

Office design news from Morgan Lovell

Published on 12-01-2012

With dark nights and darker mornings adding to the longest pay period of the year, many office workers will likely be feeling glum.

But some are finding salvation at the work vending machine, according to a report which reckons a quarter of office workers are offsetting boredom with coffee and chocolate.

The University of Central Lancashire study looked at how boredom affected workers, something which could be offset with an attractive office refurbishment.

The study of more than 100 workers found that half of those it polled felt that when they were bored they were more vulnerable to getting things wrong, with the same percentage saying that when bored their thoughts often wander to other career opportunities.

Dr Sandi Mann, of the University of Central Lancashire, said: "My analysis suggests that the most significant cause of office boredom is an undemanding workload, so managers should look at ways of reducing sources of workplace boredom and encourage better ways of coping."

The research is being presented to the British Psychological Society’s annual occupational psychology conference.

Copyright Press Association 2012