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The ‘wrong’ temperature is the UK’s biggest workplace annoyance, costing workers 16 minutes of productivity per day
ÃÛÍÎÉ«ÇéƬ • Feb 01, 2019
- Research reveals that 23% of the nation is frustrated by being too cold at work with women more affected than men
- Meanwhile, 1 in 5 employees are affected by being too hot in the workplace
- In addition, a smelly tuna sandwich being eaten in the office could cost a business of 10 people, 6 hours of productivity per week
Being cold at work has been revealed as the biggest office pet peeve by 23% of British workers, with a chilly workplace affecting more women (28%) than men (18%).
The study, released today by ÃÛÍÎÉ«ÇéƬ found that the second biggest annoyance at work is poor internet connection with 1 in 5 saying this was immensely frustrating, an unclean workspace came third on the list, aggravating 18% of the nation’s workers.
Other grievances were:
- Heat also gets to the nation’s staff, with 17% saying their office being too hot is their biggest pet peeve
- Colleagues talking too loudly (14%), a cluttered workspace (14%), colleagues eating smelly food (12%), faulty electronic equipment (11%) and untidy colleagues (10%) also came in the top 10
It’s also been revealed that workplace annoyances cost businesses time – with poor internet connection costing workers an average of 20 minutes of productivity per day, while faulty electronic equipment leads to 19 minutes of lost time. A hot workplace also cost 19 minutes per day, while a cold workplace costs 16 minutes of productivity.
Noisy colleagues result in 17 minutes of lost time per worker, and affect millennials more than any other age group - 25-34 year-olds say loud co-workers result in them losing an average of 20 minutes of productivity per day.
Smelly food costs 7 minutes per worker per day, so a team of just 10 people could lose 6 hours a week in productivity, if a fellow colleague has a liking for tuna or egg sandwiches!
The UK’s top 10 workplace annoyances:
- Workplace being too cold – 23%
- Poor internet connection – 20%
- An unclean workspace – 18%
- Workplace being too hot – 17%
- Dirty crockery/cutlery left in the kitchen sink – 15%
- Colleagues talking too loudly – 14%
- A cluttered workspace – 14%
- A colleague eating smelly food – 12%
- Faulty electronic equipment – 11%
- Colleagues having untidy workspaces – 10%
The average loss in productivity (in minutes) per pet peeves
- Poor internet connection: 20 minutes
- Faulty electronic equipment: 19 minutes
- Workplace being too hot: 19 minutes
- Colleagues talking too loudly: 17 minutes
- Workplace being too cold: 16 minutes
- Poor lighting in workplace: 14 minutes
- A cluttered workplace: 12 minutes
- An unclean workplace: 12 minutes
- Colleagues having untidy workspaces: 11 minutes
- Cluttered computer desktop: 10 minutes
- Colleagues leaving fruit peelings in their workspace: 10 minutes
- Poor choice of music at work: 10 minutes
- Loose wires getting in the way: 9 minutes
- Colleagues leaving dirty crockery in their workspace: 8 minutes
- Colleagues that eat the last treat and don’t throw the wrapper away: 8 minutes
- Colleagues eating smelly food: 7 minutes
- Colleagues that leave an empty toilet roll behind without throwing it away: 7 minutes
- Dirty crockery left in kitchen sink: 6 minutes
- Teabags left in the kitchen sink: 5 minutes
Mark Clisby, Chief Marketing Officer at ÃÛÍÎÉ«ÇéƬ, said: “While it can be difficult to get the right balance at work, it’s important that harmony is achieved to ensure your team is productive. Remind colleagues to consider each other’s needs – for example, before reaching for the aircon, check how the temperature feels for the rest of the team, and perhaps remove a jumper instead of turning the temperature down a few degrees.
Also, business owners should encourage employees to step outside for lunch, rather than eating at their desks – it’s important to take a break from work, and this then avoids any debate over any smelly food”.
For more tips and advice for small business owners, visit
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