flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Study: 85% of employees dissatisfied with their office environment

Study: 85% of employees dissatisfied with their office environment

A vast majority of office workers feel open floor plans cause multiple distractions and that more private spaces are needed in today's offices, according to a new study by Steelcase and research firm IPSOS.


By BD+C Staff | November 25, 2014
Open plan office space, Steelcase, Gensler, Deezen
Image: Wikimedia Commons

A new study of 10,500 office workers in Europe, North America, and Asia found that more than half of employees prefer to have a private workspace versus an open place office, Deezen reports.  

 

 

ew research shows that 

 

Workers have said that open office floor plans cause multiple distractions, which leads to employees being unproductive during the day.

Office furniture specialists, Steelcase, and research company, IPSOS, found that insufficient privacy in the workplace was a worldwide problem. The survey they conducted said that out of 10,500 workers in Europe, North America and Asia more than 85 percent of employees were dissatisfied with their office environment and had difficulties concentrating.

Due to the lack of concentration throughout the day, survey respondents were losing 86 minutes per day to distractions, and 31 percent reported that they had to leave their offices to complete work due to a lack of private space.

Reportings also state that disengagement in the workplace is not only wasting time, but money. The current estimate for loss of productivity is said to be up to $550 billion in American companies and up to £70 billion a year in UK companies.

Those who had more privacy (11 percent of respondents) were more satisfied in their office environment and were therefore more engaged.

An architecture firm, Gensler, reported finding about a workplace survey they conducted saying that new office technologies and open-plan offices were damaging the performance of employees.

In just five years, workplace effectiveness has fallen in the U.S. by six percent.

For more information, visit www.dezeen.com.

Related Stories

K-12 Schools | Aug 29, 2024

Designing for dyslexia: How architecture can address neurodiversity in K-12 schools

Architects play a critical role in designing school environments that support students with learning differences, particularly dyslexia, by enhancing social and emotional competence and physical comfort. Effective design principles not only benefit students with dyslexia but also improve the learning experience for all students and faculty. This article explores how key design strategies at the campus, classroom, and individual levels can foster confidence, comfort, and resilience, thereby optimizing educational outcomes for students with dyslexia and other learning differences.

Museums | Aug 29, 2024

Bjarke Ingels' Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art conceived as village of 12 pavilions

The 60,000-sm Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China recently topped out. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the museum is conceived as a village of 12 pavilions, offering a modern interpretation of the elements that have defined the city’s urbanism, architecture, and landscape for centuries. 

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 28, 2024

Cities in Washington State will offer tax breaks for office-to-residential conversions

A law passed earlier this year by the Washington State Legislature allows developers to defer sales and use taxes if they convert existing structures, including office buildings, into affordable housing.

Industrial Facilities | Aug 28, 2024

UK-based tire company plans to build the first carbon-neutral tire factory in the U.S.

ENSO, a U.K.-based company that makes tires for electric vehicles, has announced plans to build the first carbon-neutral tire factory in the U.S. The $500 million ENSO technology campus will be powered entirely by renewable energy. The first-of-its-kind tire factory aims to be carbon neutral without purchased offsets, using carbon-neutral raw materials and building materials. 

Architects | Aug 28, 2024

KTGY acquires residential high-rise specialist GDA Architects

KTGY, an award-winning design firm focused on architecture, interior design, branded environments and urban design, announced that it has acquired GDA Architects, a Dallas-based architectural firm specializing in high rise residential, hospitality and industrial design.

K-12 Schools | Aug 26, 2024

Windows in K-12 classrooms provide opportunities, not distractions

On a knee-jerk level, a window seems like a built-in distraction, guaranteed to promote wandering minds in any classroom or workspace. Yet, a steady stream of studies has found the opposite to be true.

Building Technology | Aug 23, 2024

Top-down construction: Streamlining the building process | BD+C

Learn why top-down construction is becoming popular again for urban projects and how it can benefit your construction process in this comprehensive blog.

Airports | Aug 22, 2024

Portland opens $2 billion mass timber expansion and renovation to its international airport  

This month, the Portland International Airport (PDX) main terminal expansion opened to passengers. Designed by ZGF for the Port of Portland, the 1 million-sf project doubles the capacity of PDX and enables the airport to welcome 35 million passengers per year by 2045.

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 22, 2024

6 key fire and life safety considerations for office-to-residential conversions

Office-to-residential conversions may be fraught with fire and life safety challenges, from egress requirements to fire protection system gaps. Here are six important considerations to consider.

Resiliency | Aug 22, 2024

Austin area evacuation center will double as events venue

A new 45,000 sf FEMA-operated evacuation shelter in the Greater Austin metropolitan area will begin construction this fall. The center will be available to house people in the event of a disaster such as a major hurricane and double as an events venue when not needed for emergency shelter.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021