Satisfaction in the workspace linked to increased productivity

Fellowes Brands, has announced the results of its survey of over 6,000 employees across Europe, 1,000 of which are from the UK, claiming nine in ten (91 percent) of all European employees and 89 percent of UK employees say satisfaction is important to them in their workspace, regardless of whether working location is at the corporate office or the home office. Moreover, 88 percent of UK employees say satisfaction improves their productivity by more than 25 percent.

By helping to uncover attitudes of European and British employees towards workspace satisfaction and productivity, the survey findings help inform employers how best to navigate the new ‘hybrid’ model of working, where a portion of time is spent working within the corporate office, and a portion working from a home office.

The survey results highlight the importance of workspace satisfaction and are supported by additional social media sentiment analysis conducted by Fellowes Brands, which found that there were 1.9 million mentions of workspace satisfaction in the past 12-months, up from 1.5 million mentions in the previous 12-month period.

Following a period where many Britons spent a year working almost exclusively from home, Fellowes Brands’ survey claims that 36 percent of UK employees who work from home say they feel more productive in the office, and 29 percent say they feel more productive when working in the new ‘hybrid’ working environment.

In addition to uncovering British attitudes about the modern workspace, the survey also highlights interesting commonalities between employees across Europe — in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, as well as the UK. In comparing results from all of the European countries, the data painted a picture of four ‘core elements’ that make up workspace satisfaction.

As identified by the Fellowes Brands survey results, the Four Core Elements of Workspace Satisfaction are:

1. Clean Environment
2. Healthy Workspace
3. Secure Environment
4. Tidiness & Organisation

Clean Environment

77 percent of UK employees say it is important for an employer to invest in clean, healthy air (e.g., using air purifiers) to facilitate productivity in their workspace. 54 percent of all European employees surveyed said that a well-ventilated space is the top ‘smell’ that gives them satisfaction in their workspace. A third (33 percent) of UK employees say they find breathing cleaner, healthier air satisfying at work.

Healthy Workspace

83 percent of all European employees (and 81 percent of UK employees) say having a good ergonomic environment, including a suitable desk, chair, and monitor at eye level is important to their productivity. 80 percent of UK employees say it is important to their productivity that their employer invests in ergonomics.

Secure Environment

Two thirds (66 percent) of all European employees agree that being able to dispose of confidential or sensitive documents securely gives them satisfaction. 74 percent of UK employees say it is important that an employer invests in equipment to shred sensitive documents.

Tidiness & Organisation

81 percent of UK employees say having a clean, healthy workspace is important to their productivity. 77 percent of UK employees say it is important that an employer invests in effective storage and organisation solutions they need to be productive at the office. 79 percent of UK employees say having access to the equipment they need, such as an extra monitor to view large documents, is important to their productivity.

73 percent of UK employees and 69 percent of all European employees say it is important that an employer invests in equipment to produce high quality presentations and documents, including laminators and binders, they need to be productive at the office.

A theme running throughout the four core elements also points to the need for employers ensuring the correct equipment in the hybrid workspace.

50 percent of all European employees said that it positively impacts their productivity when satisfied with their working set-up. More than 8 in 10 (83 percent) of all European employees say that having an excellent ergonomic environment, including a suitable desk, chair, monitor at eye level, is essential to their productivity. 36 percent of all European employees prefer to have a hybrid working option; versus 24 percent who prefer to work solely from home.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The most productive people all seem to have one commonality: satisfaction”[/perfectpullquote]

Productivity expert Martin Geiger, who has authored Fellowes Brands’ whitepaper on the results of the survey, supports the findings through his own work, commenting:

“The future of work is hybrid. No longer is working solely relegated to the company office; the modern workspace now involves employees splitting a portion of their time working from within the corporate office, and a portion working from the home office.

“Throughout my career working with some of the world’s biggest companies, one thing I’ve come to notice is that the most productive people all seem to have one commonality: satisfaction. To successfully transition to this exciting hybrid working future, employers must implement practical strategies that allow their employees to be satisfied with the setup within the corporate office, as well as within their home working environment.”

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