- Open-plan office workers are exposed to more germs and are more stressed People who have their own space take 62 per cent less sick days.
- They are less productive because they are distracted by other people talking.
- People over the age of 45 are the most distracted by office noises.
- Open plan workers are less motivated and have lower job satisfaction levels.
Open-plan offices may be the modern way, but new research suggests that they are not the best way.
People who work in these environments are more likely to get sick, are less productive and take more days off.
Research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health revealed that people who work in open plan offices take 62 per cent more sick days than those who work in their own, enclosed space.
People who work in open plan offices take 62 per cent more sick days than those who work in their own, enclosed space
The study authors believe that this is because germs spread more easily in these environments.
However, Quartz reports that it could also be because open plan offices are a more stressful place to work, and being stressed increases a person’s risk of becoming unwell.
However, increased illness rates are not the only way in which workers are negatively affected by working in an open plan office.
A study carried out by researchers at Virginia State University and North Carolina State University, in the U.S., revealed that people who work in open plan offices are less productive.
The research showed that these employees are less motivated, have lower job satisfaction and that they feel they lack privacy.
The researchers believe that they are also less productive because they are disturbed by the sound of other people’s conversations.
The findings of a study by Hong Kong Polytechnic University support this.
Researchers questioned 259 office workers about which aspects of office life have the biggest impact on their productivity.
People who work in open plan offices are less productive because they are disturbed by the sound of other people's conversations
People who work in open plan offices are less productive because they are disturbed by the sound of other people's conversations
They discovered that noise and temperature are the most influential factors with conversations, ringing phones and machines being cited as the most irritating noises.
This study also revealed that people over the age of 45 are the most sensitive to disturbing noises – their productivity is affected the most by them.
Previous research suggests that even people who do not work in open plan offices suffer the ill effects of office work.
The crumbs that accumulate on your desk and in your keyboard provide a perfect environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive, says Dr Ron Cutler, a micro- biologist at Queen Mary University of London.
The temperature in offices is typically around 20C, the point at which staphylococcus can breed, causing diarrhoea and vomiting.
For the same reason, leaving your sandwich on your desk all morning is also a risk.
The crumbs that accumulate on desks provide a perfect environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive and these can cause diarrhoea and vomiting
The crumbs that accumulate on desks provide a perfect environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive and these can cause diarrhoea and vomiting
‘Meat or chicken in temperatures of more than 4c will start to see salmonella growing after two or three hours,’ says Dr Peter Wilson, a microbiologist at University College London Hospitals.
The more people who share office equipment or desks, the greater the risk of catching a bug, he explained.
‘Faecal contamination has been found in the office environment and on phones, so the more people use certain equipment, the more germs will be on it,’ says Dr Cutler.
‘That’s why it’s so important to wash your hands before eating.’
Finally, scientists at the University of Missouri claim that sitting at a desk for hours on end gives people an increased chance of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease.
They claim sitting down for an extended time is as bad for health as smoking or over-exposure to the sun.
And rushing to the gym after work won’t necessarily undo the damage — research from the American Cancer Society has found it’s the length of time you spend sitting that can affect your risk of premature death, regardless of how much physical activity you get outside the office.
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