UK businesses lose 330m+ hours a year due to poor office conditions

As UK return-to-office mandates rise, new research reveals the impact of office environments on employee productivity with 71 per cent of UK workers losing time to office distractions – adding up to 330m+ hours a year or 170,000 years of full-time work.

The research by software-enabled hardware solutions business, Logitech and workplace solutions integrator, Insight, surveyed 2,000 hybrid and full-time office workers, and found a quarter (25 per cent) of UK workers lose one hour of work each week due to a poor ‘productivity climate’ – from noise levels to bad lighting, air quality and outdated tech. It highlights a clear opportunity: organisations that invest in better workplace conditions can unlock productivity, strengthen wellbeing and improve retention.

As two to three days in the office becomes the norm, UK workers are relearning office etiquette. Noisy work environments threaten to drown out workplace productivity with the majority of workers (85 per cent) admitting that a loud office impacts their stress levels. As it stands, loud talking is the biggest office distraction (43 per cent) followed closely by loud typing (21 per cent).

However, it’s not just a noisy work environment that is hampering productivity. When left unchecked, poor temperature and air quality are clouding the in-office experience. Over three quarters (79 per cent) of workers believe that their productivity levels have been impacted by a stuffy meeting room. So much so, that nearly two thirds (61 per cent) admit that they’ve nearly fallen asleep as a result of an unventilated meeting room, while one in 10 (10 per cent) actually have.

Subpar office environments are also turning up the dial on team friction. Over two thirds (69 per cent) of workers admit to having an office disagreement due to a loud colleague, while half (51 per cent) have had to move seats or even go home due to office chatter.

Poor air quality is also proving disruptive to team dynamics, with 65 per cent of employees saying it has caused clashes with co-workers.

As a result, over three quarters of workers (78 per cent) have taken matters into their own hands and brought in personal items to create a more harmonious office climate. As it stands, nearly a third (31 per cent) admit to bringing in their own personal earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones into the office, while a quarter (25 per cent) pack their own room spray.

As UK workers spend more time in the office, the environment also plays a big part in whether they would accept a role or even leave their current workplace. As a result, workers would decline a job offer or leave their current role due to poor air quality (26 per cent), unsatisfactory office temperature (20 per cent) and poor office lighting (18 per cent).

Despite the impact a poor productivity climate can have, over a quarter (27 per cent) of UK businesses have still not implemented any biohacking techniques in the office whereby organisations implement data-driven, science back methods to optimise the physical workspace including air quality, sound or lighting. As a result, UK workers want their company to introduce ventilation devices that pump fresh air into the office (32 per cent), more natural light (32 per cent) and soundproof booths (31 per cent).

David Houseman, Head of Workplace Experience, Logitech commented: “The modern office must reflect the evolving needs of the people it hosts and the work that goes on inside it. Only then will businesses reap the benefits. Strategic thought and investment in the right tools, layout, furnishings and amenities is vital to boosting the ideal productivity climate and in turn engagement and collaboration.”