• Nine in ten (89%) UK employees say satisfaction is important to them in their workspace
• A third (32%) of UK employees say being satisfied with their workspace improves their productivity by up to 50%
• Over a third (43%) of UK employees find well-ventilated and filtered air satisfying in their workspace
• 42% of UK employees who feel more productive working in the office said it’s because they have better equipment at the office

LONDON, 15 September 2021 – Nine in ten employees rate satisfaction in their workspace as important, with a third of UK employees (32%) saying they are up to 50% more productive when they are satisfied with their workspace.

According to the survey of 6,000 employees across Europe including 1,000 from the UK, 91% of European and 89% of UK workers say that satisfaction is important to them in their workspace, whether working from home or at the office. Moreover, 88% of UK employees say satisfaction improves their productivity by more than 25%.

Conducted by leading office solution supplier, Fellowes Brands, the survey uncovers the attitudes of European and British employees towards workspace satisfaction and productivity, and helps employers navigate the new ‘hybrid’ model of working.

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:

1. Clean Environment
2. Healthy Workspace
3. Secure Environment
4. 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.

Productivity expert Martin Geiger, who has authored Fellowes Brands’ whitepaper on the results of the survey, supports the findings through his own work, commenting:

“The future of work is hybrid. No longer is working solely relegated to the company office; the modern workspace now involves employees splitting a portion of their time working from within the corporate office, and a portion working from the home office.

“Throughout my career working with some of the world’s biggest companies, one thing I’ve come to notice is that the most productive people all seem to have one commonality: satisfaction. To successfully transition to this exciting hybrid working future, employers must implement practical strategies that allow their employees to be satisfied with the setup within the corporate office, as well as within their home working environment.

“Employees who are well equipped and thus satisfied with their working conditions in both locations will lead to outcomes of higher productivity.”

In concert with the findings linking employee satisfaction with increased productivity, Fellowes Brands offers solutions designed to aid employers in optimising their hybrid strategy, while satisfying employees in their hybrid workspaces.

Fellowes Brands UK Marketing Manager, Jeremy Cooper, comments:

“The modern workspace is rapidly evolving, and with that comes a change in the tools that employees need to be successful and productive in their work. As employers begin to design new hybrid ways of working, ensuring that employers outfit their employees for both corporate and home office working will be key.

“Employers must ensure that their employees’ workstations are optimised for each of the Four Core Elements of Workspace Satisfaction. Doing so will keep employees safe, satisfied, and productive. At Fellowes Brands, we understand that hybrid working is the future and have built our hybrid workspace tools to meet the demands of this future, ensuring productivity for the long-term.”

The full survey results and their analysis can be found in Fellowes Brands’ new whitepaper, entitled ‘The Importance of Workspace Satisfaction’, authored by productivity expert, Martin Geiger, which can be downloaded at fellowes.com/fellowes-satisfaction.

Fellowes Brands ergonomics, monitor arms, shredders, binders, laminators, and bankers boxes, and more, can be found by visiting fellowes.com.