Satisfaction in the workspace linked to increased productivity, survey of 6,000 employees finds

Leading office solution supplier, Fellowes Brands, today announces the results of its survey of over 6,000 employees across Europe, 1,000 of which are from the UK, revealing 9 in 10 (91%) of all European employees and 89% 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% of UK employees say satisfaction improves their productivity by more than 25%.

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 reveals that 36% of UK employees who work from home say they feel more productive in the office, and 29% 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 revealed 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:

Clean Environment
Healthy Workspace
Secure Environment
Tidiness & Organisation

Here’s what European and UK employees have to say about each of the four core elements:

Clean Environment

● 77% 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% 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%) of UK employees say they find breathing cleaner, healthier air satisfying at work.

Healthy Workspace

● 83% of all European employees (and 81% 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% of UK employees say it is important to their productivity that their employer invests in ergonomics.

Secure Environment

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

Tidiness & Organisation

● 81% of UK employees say having a clean, healthy workspace is important to their productivity.
● 77% 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% 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% of UK employees and 69% 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% of all European employees said that it positively impacts their productivity when satisfied with their working set-up.
● More than 8 in 10 (83%) 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% of all European employees prefer to have a hybrid working option; versus 24% who prefer to work solely from home.