Office designers, architects and landlords could be getting office amenity all wrong. New research shows happiness is all about food, sweets and booze for North West office workers.
These conclusions emerge from a U.K.-wide study of office worker satisfaction conducted by Workthere, a Savills venture introduced to help businesses find flexible, coworking and serviced office space.
The North West office market is more food and drink focused than other regions. The only thing that comes near to delivering as much pleasure is acquiring something gorgeous and shiney from the stationery cupboard.
It comes as no surprise that what gets them riled — considerably more riled than office workers in other regions — is somebody messing with their snacks.
Stuffing their faces leaves North West office workers with little time or enthusiasm for casual social interaction, the report suggests. Whilst chatting to co-workers about what they did last weekend scores high on the list of happiness-inducing office activities in Scotland and Yorkshire, in the North West it doesn't make it to the top five.
Top 5 moments of happiness in North West offices | |
Receiving a “well done” or “thank you” from your boss or client | 88% |
Lunchbreak | 86% |
Colleagues bringing in treats for the office (e.g. sweets) | 79% |
Office Drinks | 78% |
Getting new stationery | 74% |
“It is clear from these results that happiness in U.K. offices is very much dependent on positive interaction and it is therefore important that the office environment supports this with open-plan areas, communal spaces and amenities," Workthere founder Cal Lee said. "We have seen these factors become a real focus in the workplace, particularly in the serviced office environment with collaboration and relationship building at the heart of its design."
“With happy staff believed to be more productive, creating the right setting that allows social interaction as well as creative and focused work areas is crucial.”
Top 5 pet peeves in North West offices | |
Faulty/broken equipment (e.g. scanners, photocopiers, laptops) | 80% |
Unwashed crockery (like dirty coffee mugs) left on desks | 73% |
Getting stuck with an uncomfortable chair | 71% |
Passive aggressive comments/emails | 70% |
Having food items stolen | 67% |
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