SURVEY WORKPLACE AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
WHAT WE REALLY, REALLY WANT
What do employees really think about their workplace and wellbeing? We report on a
recent survey examining the attitudes of those who are the target of the trends
Prevailing workplace trends
appear to be moving in a
progressive direction. All the talk
is of agile working and wellness,
given new momentum by the
WELL Building Standard which
links di erent aspects of the
workplace to employee wellbeing
and performance.
But there is always a danger of being
swept up in a movement for its own sake – because
everyone is doing it. Too o en change is initiated
without asking what the people most concerned
actually think about it – the sta .
AJ Products recently conducted a survey asking
122 employees about their working conditions, how
their workplace impacted on their wellbeing and
productivity, and what changes they thought would
benefit them the most. The results were illuminating,
suggesting that people’s attitudes are not as clear-cut
as some might imagine.
It is certainly true that employees are still largely deskbound.
Eighty per cent of respondents agreed their job
was desk-based. The number of hours spent sitting at
work remains high: almost half (48 per cent) said they
spent six to eight hours each day on a chair, followed by
30 per cent who estimated three to six hours. More than
one in 10 (11 per cent) claimed an alarming eight to 10
hours sitting down every working day.
This could well be linked to the fact that almost onefi
h of 95 respondents said they have taken a day o
from work in the previous year due to musculoskeletal
problems, such as back or joint pain. Added to this, many
people still do little exercise outside of work: 31 per cent
said they managed between nought and two hours per
week, while a quarter (25 per cent) said two to four.
All of which reinforces the arguments in favour of
getting people to move around more in the workplace,
through measures including o ice layout, standing
meetings or sit-stand desks, for example, as well as
provision of ‘active seating’ such as balance stools and
saddle chairs.
42 MAY 2019
One encouraging finding was the number
of people who believed their organisation
actually cares about their welfare. Asked to
agree or disagree with the statement ‘The
organisation I work for cares about my
health and wellbeing’, fully 82 per cent (of 95
respondents) agreed. This did not, however,
prevent 61 per cent of the same sample
agreeing that they would consider changing jobs
for a healthier and more active work environment.
In fact, opinion on the e ect of the workplace on
physical and emotional health was divided. Asked to
agree or disagree that ‘My current work environment
has a negative impact on my physical wellbeing’, of
92 respondents 45 per cent said yes and 55 per cent
said no. Of the same sample, 46 per cent agreed their
work environment negatively impacted their emotional
wellbeing, with 54 per cent disagreeing.
Reinforcing the link between a sense of wellbeing and
perceived performance, a similar split characterised
the response to ‘My current work environment has a
negative impact on my productivity’. Of 92 respondents,
48 per cent agreed and 52 per cent disagreed.
POSITIVE ACTION
Given that there are real issues to address, what do
employees (as opposed to managers and consultants)
think will benefit them the most?
The survey asked two interesting questions. First,
what workplace health initiatives would people like to
see introduced within their organisation? And second,
what factors did they think would increase their
productivity?
For the first question, respondents were asked to rate
in order of importance seven health-related initiatives
they would like their employer to implement. These
were: sit-stand desks; standing
meetings; organised fitness
classes/activities on site; healthy
eating options available on site;
more support for cycle to work
schemes; active seating, such as
balance stools and saddle chairs;
and anti-fatigue matting.
Overall, sit-stand desks came
out the winner, with 38 per cent of 95 respondents
putting this option first. Second was healthy eating,
with 41 per cent ranking the option either first or
second. Organised fitness classes were close behind.
The second question asked respondents to rate five
factors according to their perceived impact on personal
productivity: better acoustics to reduce noise levels;
better lighting; access to quiet work areas such as
privacy pods and huddle rooms; active o ice furniture;
and more social spaces.
Overall, access to quiet areas and active furniture
scored highest. Over a third of 92 respondents (35 per
cent) put active furniture first, while half rated access to
quiet areas either first or second.
Perhaps the most important message to emerge from
the survey is that facilities managers should not make
assumptions about what their people want. Employees’
perceptions of what they need and what would work
best are not necessarily correct, of course. But change
will not work without proper research to make the case,
and proper consultation to ensure everyone is fully on
board.
Which of the following workplace health initiatives would you most
like your company to implement?
38% Sit-stand desks
21% Organised fitness classes/activities on site
20% Healthy eating options available on site
6% Active seating (balance stools, saddle chairs etc)
6% Standing meetings
6% Anti-fatigue matting
2% More support for cycle to work schemes
Which of the following factors do you think would most increase
your productivity at work?
35% Active o ice furniture (sit-stand desk, active sitting chair, balance board etc)
25% Access to quiet work areas (such as privacy pods and huddle rooms)
18% Better acoustics to reduce noise levels
15% More social spaces
7% Better lighting
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