Businesses can greatly improve their staff productivity with better office design, suggests a new report highlighted on businesseurope.com
Research from consultancy firm Gensler shows that improving work environments can boost staff morale and drive up productivity by nearly a fifth, adding up to £135 billion to firms' bottom lines.
The study of service sector businesses reveals a fifth of workers claim they would be embarrassed to show their office to a customer. Another 58% say it has not been designed to support their firm's business objectives, let alone their job function.
Only half rate their working environment as above average. Business owners are failing to realise, said Gensler's Gary Wheeler, that a comfortable working environment indirectly leads to more money in their coffers. Poof office design, he said, is a false economy.