Did you know employees sitting closer to windows are more likely to show up at work?
According to the Question & Retain (Q&R) Happiness in the Workplace Pulse Check, 40 percent of us say the most important factor that makes us happy at work is feeling valued and supported; 19 percent of us get out of bed for the intellectual challenge work provides; and for 12 percent, the pay and benefits make that early alarm bell worthwhile.
However, it’s not just about the people, the job and the money; the data amassed by Leesman, the world’s largest independent assessor of workplace effectiveness, suggests that the physical work environment also plays a part in boosting overall employee satisfaction levels. Having surveyed 250,000 employees worldwide, 85.1 percent state that the design of the workplace is important; yet only 56.7 percent of people feel the design of their workplace enables them to work productively.
That’s corroborated by research by furniture giant Steelcase, which reveals that employees who are highly satisfied with various aspects of their workplace also demonstrate higher levels of employee engagement. But, worryingly, Gallup’s statistics reveal that only 13% of workers are engaged at work. This lack of engagement may be a contributing factor to America’s ongoing productivity problem. Employees are hardly going to make the effort if the space they’re placed in fails to support them in their role.
A key workplace failure is the appropriate provision of natural light. Of the quarter of a million employees in 69 countries surveyed by Leesman’s workplace benchmarking tool, 75.8 percent state that natural light is important to them, yet only 56.9 percent are satisfied with the offering in their workplace. Meanwhile, research over the past few years from the International WELL Building Institute, Human Spaces, and the World Green Building Council has all demonstrated the importance of natural light in employee engagement and productivity.
From workdesign.com
