Fancy a massage or yoga in the office?

British workers would rather just have a window

Sleep pods, office yoga and an on-site masseuse – as glamorous as it sounds Britain isn’t interested!

A survey, commissioned by Crown Workspace, asked British workers what would improve their office environment and found that it’s the simpler things in life that keep them sweet.

Over a third of those polled (37%) said more natural light would make them feel healthier and happier at work. Meanwhile office chairs may still be contributing to bad posture and health problems, with three out of ten people (27%) saying ‘more comfortable chairs’ would make them feel happier and healthier in the office.

The minimalist trend in interior design seems to be crossing over to workers’ expectation of the office space – one in five (22%) of those polled said office clutter bothers them.

Astonishingly, the most basic improvements comfortably beat the more ‘exciting’ options such as:

• Fun areas to let off steam (17%)
• Bar/coffee/lunch area (17%)
• Massage (6%)
• Yoga (6%)
• Sleep pods (11%)
• Areas for exercise (9%)
• Showers (7%)

The poll suggests that most employees have a good idea of what improvements could be made to their office. Only 2% said nothing would improve their office

Barry Koolen, Regional Managing Director at Crown Workspace commented:

“The results from this survey were surprising; especially considering all of the hype surrounding office perks such as sleep pods, yoga and even unlimited sweets. These results demonstrate that something as simple as natural light is much more important to British workers.

“Where it is not possible to increase natural light, office managers could consider adjusting indoor lighting to replicate natural light and moving over-flowing filing cabinets into the cloud.”

The Crown Workspace survey also revealed the following:

• Workers in Northern Ireland are the most contented with their office space – 15% said it couldn’t be improved.
• Workers in the North West are the most light-starved – half (49%) ranked more natural light as the top way to improve their working conditions.
• People working in the arts and in sales are most in need of windows; over half (52%) of those polled who work in these sectors demand more natural light.
• A third (32%) of women polled were not happy with their office chair, compared to only one in five men.