To mark 2016’s Employee Motivation Day (25th February 2016), the world’s largest independent measure of workplace effectiveness can reveal satisfaction levels among British workers. 

The Leesman Index benchmarks employee satisfaction in 90 areas, covering workplace design, activities, features and facilities, and contains feedback from more than 135,000 employees in over 1,100 workplaces in 49 countries. Data released from the latest Leesman report reveals that the design of the workplace is important to 85 percent of British workers, with 54 percent believing that an office environment has a direct impact on workplace culture. Creating and maintaining a positive culture is key when aiming to motivate a workforce. The global, independent think-tank can also reveal that more work needs to be done among British business organisations because only 49 percent of employees are proud of where they work.

Even more worryingly, only 54 percent of respondents agree the design of their workplace enables them to work productively. By understanding how the business environment affects employee performance, workplace productivity can be enhanced. In addition, the Leesman data also shows employees are increasingly looking for a variety of workspaces, including social, informal areas to collaborate and communicate with colleagues, yet their employers are failing to provide them.

Tim Oldman, Founder and CEO of Leesman, comments: “We have spoken to more than 135,000 employees across the world and the latest data has revealed that office environments can have a dramatic impact on employee motivation. Our research suggests that 2out of every 5 employees believe their workplace doesn’t contribute towards a sense of community or create an enjoyable environment in which to work. This, along with a number of other factors, can seriously impinge both motivation and performance.  “In order to improve productivity, organisations must consider the design of the workspace by questioning whether the space inspires a sense of passion and pride. We would encourage businesses across the country to find out and respond to what makes their colleagues tick – not just on Employee Motivation Day, but every day thereafter.”