'Unfit' and 'unsafe' workplaces are reducing productivity

New research suggests that dirty, badly organised and unsafe work premises are costing UK companies vital business and reducing the productivity of their workforce.

The research conducted on behalf of Resource, identified that UK companies have cut their cleaning and maintenance budgets since the beginning of the recession. As a result, half of the employees surveyed said that they are now embarrassed about clients and customers visiting their workplace because of its presentation. A further 40% said that clients had noticed their premises’ deteriorating appearance.

Employees are also being affected, suggests research, with 15% of respondents citing a dirty workplace and a badly laid out office as the aspect currently impacting most on their productivity. Safety is also an issue, with more than one in ten of those who answered saying that they believe they work in an unsafe environment.
The bad habits of colleagues also come in for criticism, with a third of respondents saying that their co-workers do not clean up after themselves in the office, toilet or work kitchen. A further 15% highlight poor personal hygiene as their co-workers’ most distracting quality and, rather disturbingly, almost 10% of people say their fellow employees show such a disregard for health and safety that they are ‘dangerous’.

Workplace washrooms offer no safe haven, with 58% of people describing their work toilet facilities as ‘adequate at best’ and 10% as ‘filthy’.

Asked what improvement to their physical environment would increase their productivity the most, 45% of people opted for more natural light, perhaps unsurprising when you consider that almost a quarter of respondents (23%) said they have difficult seeing out of their windows because they are so dirty.

Esther Wassmann, managing director of Resource, said: “Understandably, businesses are looking to reduce overheads during a recession and 40% of those surveyed said the company they worked for had scaled back on the provision of cleaning, maintenance and security. From the results it is clear that these cuts are having an impact on the workforce and could be putting off potential customers at a time when every business should be trying its upmost to attract new business. Legally, employers have a duty of care to provide employees with a safe working place, so the fact that so many people consider their workplace ‘unsafe’ and their colleagues ‘dangerous’ is very worrying. Clean, safe and well maintained business premises will reduce injuries, help maintain morale, drive productivity and decrease the long-term cost of building maintenance. More importantly it will forge credibility with existing and prospective customers and help to retain and secure business.”

www.resource-group.com