In case you've never thought about this, the average office worker spends 32 percent, or about 10.3 years, at their workplace.
Using this statistic we can acknowledge that our office environment must play a very significant role in our physical and mental health. So the question is: 'How has the performance of 237 million Americans who work in open plan offices been affected by a planning design which has been shown to affect their health in a negative way?
The Trap of the Open Office
The main issue with open office plans comes down to proximity. Workstations and common areas are arranged in a way that capitalizes on the space available at the expense of the worker.
It's been shown that cramped working conditions contribute to reduced productivity levels and trends and engagement indicate an decline in the health of the overall workforce. Workers are getting sick more often in open plan office spaces and are taking more time off as a result.
But this problem is not unique to the United States. The Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health conducted a study of businesses whose staff work in open-air office setups and reported 62 percent more sick days compared with staff working in closed office spaces.
U.S. Employee Perceptions of Sick Days
There's a big difference between the United States and most European countries in regards to the attitudes to sick days. Almost 80 percent of American workers come to work when they know they're not well, and this number is steadily increasing. This creates a vicious cycle that begins and ends with more employees falling victim to illness in the workplace.
What’s worse is that the sick day system is failing employees. In an online poll conducted by Staples, 25 percent of workers said that they avoided taking a sick day and 66 percent admitted that they returned to work while still contagious.
Employers Have a Role in Safeguarding Their Employees Health
It's left to employers to determine what's in their own best interest, both financially and ethically, to promote a safe health environment for their staff members. Being slightly more flexible with employee requests for time off in relation to sickness can translate into a 5 to 15 percent increase in productivity and efficiency. Click here to find more about professional cleaning.
How To Prevent Illness In The Workplace
With mounting evidence supporting the claim that open plan offices are harmful to the health of employees, most employers are doing the right thing and are moving away from open-air office designs.
Of course there will be some employers who won't physically be able to change the structure of their office building. With this set of circumstances the best way to fight illness in the workplace is to hire an efficient and professional cleaning service to maintain clean and sanitary conditions on a very regular basis.
When it comes to employees' health you can't go past using a professional team of cleaners to provide solutions for workplace safety and good health.
Using this statistic we can acknowledge that our office environment must play a very significant role in our physical and mental health. So the question is: 'How has the performance of 237 million Americans who work in open plan offices been affected by a planning design which has been shown to affect their health in a negative way?
The Trap of the Open Office
The main issue with open office plans comes down to proximity. Workstations and common areas are arranged in a way that capitalizes on the space available at the expense of the worker.
It's been shown that cramped working conditions contribute to reduced productivity levels and trends and engagement indicate an decline in the health of the overall workforce. Workers are getting sick more often in open plan office spaces and are taking more time off as a result.
But this problem is not unique to the United States. The Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health conducted a study of businesses whose staff work in open-air office setups and reported 62 percent more sick days compared with staff working in closed office spaces.
U.S. Employee Perceptions of Sick Days
There's a big difference between the United States and most European countries in regards to the attitudes to sick days. Almost 80 percent of American workers come to work when they know they're not well, and this number is steadily increasing. This creates a vicious cycle that begins and ends with more employees falling victim to illness in the workplace.
What’s worse is that the sick day system is failing employees. In an online poll conducted by Staples, 25 percent of workers said that they avoided taking a sick day and 66 percent admitted that they returned to work while still contagious.
Employers Have a Role in Safeguarding Their Employees Health
It's left to employers to determine what's in their own best interest, both financially and ethically, to promote a safe health environment for their staff members. Being slightly more flexible with employee requests for time off in relation to sickness can translate into a 5 to 15 percent increase in productivity and efficiency. Click here to find more about professional cleaning.
How To Prevent Illness In The Workplace
With mounting evidence supporting the claim that open plan offices are harmful to the health of employees, most employers are doing the right thing and are moving away from open-air office designs.
Of course there will be some employers who won't physically be able to change the structure of their office building. With this set of circumstances the best way to fight illness in the workplace is to hire an efficient and professional cleaning service to maintain clean and sanitary conditions on a very regular basis.
When it comes to employees' health you can't go past using a professional team of cleaners to provide solutions for workplace safety and good health.