Poorly designed workplaces ‘cost UK economy £71bn a year’

Workers lose more than an hour a week to problems including poor maintenance, uncomfortable furniture and unsuitable spaces, new research suggests

Poorly designed and maintained workplaces are costing the UK economy an estimated £71.4bn a year in lost GDP, according to new research.

A survey of 3,000 UK employees found workers lose an average of 68 minutes each week to unproductive tasks caused by problems with their working environment.

The figure rises to 74 minutes among full-time staff and is estimated to represent £485m in lost salaries across the national workforce every week.

Poor building maintenance, uncomfortable furniture and a lack of suitable places in which to work are said to be to blame.

Almost half of employees (46 per cent) said an uncomfortable or poorly designed workplace was a major cause of job dissatisfaction.

The research by Mitie also found a strong relationship between how people felt about their workplace and their employer. Among employees satisfied with their working environment, 89 per cent were also satisfied with their employer, compared with just 23 per cent of those unhappy with their workplace.

Helen Beebe, UK Managing Director at AJ Products, which has highlighted the Mitie findings as evidence of the impact workplace design can have on staff, said: “The workplace environment is rarely criticised when performance or morale slips, yet the research shows how much it actually matters.

“Tolerating old furniture, poor layouts and unwelcoming spaces will slowly wear employees down, directly affecting productivity and retention.

“Businesses that treat the physical environment as part of how they support their people tend to see the benefit in how their teams perform.”

READ MORE: ‘Talent hushing’ blamed as four-in-10 workers say they contribute less than they could. More than 40 per cent of UK adults say they contribute less at work than they are capable of, amid warnings that “talent hushing” could be holding back productivity.

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_{Main image: Poorly designed and uncomfortable workplaces can cost businesses in lost productivity and employee satisfaction, according to research involving around 3,000 UK workers. Credit: Pușcaș Adryan/Pexels}