Poorly designed workplaces cost the UK economy £71bn a year
A survey of 3,000 employees across the UK from the facilities and security company said that UK employees lost 68 minutes each week to tasks such as finding a room with good internet access for a meeting.
Slow lifts and a lack of space for collaboration were also draining workplace productivity, the company said. Scaled across the workforce, Mitie said the time wasted by such poorly designed infrastructure amounted to a weekly salary cost of £485.2 million to employers. Over a year, this figure could reach £71.4 billion.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents said a poorly maintained workplace was a top cause of their job dissatisfaction, while 88 per cent said a safe working environment contributed to their job satisfaction.
Eighty-nine per cent of workers who were satisfied with their workplace were also satisfied with their employer. In contrast, 23 per cent of those who were dissatisfied with their workplace environment were satisfied with their employer.
'Currently, across the UK, there are a number of friction points within office environments that adversely impact employee satisfaction, which directly impacts productivity,' Mark Caskey, the managing director of projects at Mitie, said.
'But all is not lost, some are within the employer's control: for example, ensuring that the right spaces for the right tasks are readily available, from collaborative through to quiet spaces, and that any tech is in full working order.'
According to the research, recreational amenities were less popular than commonly thought. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said that recreational amenities such as gyms and social breakout areas contributed to their overall satisfaction.
'When workplaces are designed with people in mind and managed effectively, they become powerful enablers of collaboration and transformation, high in both productivity and satisfaction,' Caskey said.
'People want to spend more time in them. People thrive and communities benefit, leading to a workforce that ultimately helps the economy gain critical momentum.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Airline reports boom in first-class travel to UK from two countries
Emirates has reported a significant increase in first-class bookings to the UK from China (27 per cent) and India (17 per cent) in the first half of the year. It comes alongside a 10 per cent rise in business class bookings from Australia. The airline also anticipates a surge in Chinese visitors to regional UK airports like Glasgow and Newcastle, with projected increases of 18 per cent and 45 per cent respectively in the second half of 2025. Emirates says this growth in affluent international visitors is driving economic growth within the UK. The UK government aims to attract 50 million international visitors annually by 2030.
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Car finance scandal: shares in UK lenders jump after supreme court ruling
Shares in UK lenders surged on Monday after a favourable supreme court ruling significantly slashed the anticipated bill for companies engulfed in the car finance scandal. Specialist lender Close Brothers, which is the most exposed to the scandal, jumped as much as 27% at the start of trading, while the UK's biggest motor loan provider, Lloyds Banking Group, rose by 5.5%. Shares in Barclays, which no longer provides car finance but is dealing with the fallout for the remaining loans on its books, rose by 1.1%. The motor finance industry – which ranges from big banks such as Lloyds and Santander UK to specialist lenders and the finance arms of carmakers such as Ford and BMW – dodged a collective £44bn compensation bill after the supreme court broadly sided with lenders in a ruling on Friday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) subsequently announced plans for a much smaller redress scheme, which will go out for consultation by October. It is expected to cost lenders between £9bn and £18bn. The scheme will help draw a line under the car finance scandal, compensating millions of drivers who were overcharged as a result of controversial commission arrangements between lenders and car dealers as far back as 2007. Lloyds, which had previously set aside £1.2bn to cover compensation payments, did not announce any further provisions on Monday, and said that the 'ultimate impact' on the bank would depend on a 'number of factors'. That included the outcome of the consultation over the FCA compensation scheme, any 'further interventions' including by regulators, as well as 'broader implications of the judgment, including legal proceedings and complaints.' However, Lloyds, which is the largest provider of motor loans in the UK through its Black Horse division, said any additional money put aside for compensation 'is unlikely to be material in the context of the group'. 'The provision will continue to be reviewed for any further information that becomes available, with an update provided as and when necessary,' Lloyds added. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Close Brothers, which was one of two lenders who appealed against their case in the supreme court, has already put aside £165m for the scandal, cancelled dividends and announced plans to sell its asset management business to strengthen its finances. It said on Monday: 'We look forward to engaging with the FCA in respect of the consultation.'
BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Fernandes calls for more signings
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has called on the club to sign more players to help improve fortunes at Old snubbed a huge offer to play in the Saudi Pro-League this summer and committed himself to dragging United out of the mess they landed in last club has already spent almost £130m this summer on forward players Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and also brought Paraguay Under-20 international Diego Leon to the Fernandes believes more is required."It was crystal clear we needed more competition for the players that were here and more quality to get everyone to step up to get into the starting XI," he told host broadcaster NBC after United won the Premier League Summer Series thanks to a 2-2 draw with Everton in Atlanta."That's what the club and the manager are trying to do and hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that."In a separate interview with Manchester United's own media channel, chief executive Omar Berrada said the club was working "round the clock" to make the most of any opportunities that interest in RB Leipzig's Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko remains high, which also means they would listen to offers for their Danish front-man Rasmus judging by their performance against Everton, central midfield should also be a international Manuel Ugarte was at fault for the first Everton goal and no matter what combination of players was paired up in the midfield positions, gaps appeared for David Moyes' side to addition to his comments on potential signings, Fernandes also demanded more from his current team-mates, saying their performance without the ball had been "lazy".He added it was not good enough in a period of time where 450 staff members had lost their jobs and ticket prices had risen sharply as part of a drive to cut costs and maximise revenues to plough back into the first team."I'm happy for the players to have that feeling," said Amorim. "It's saying they understand the situation. That is good."Get news notifications on your club
