Wellbeing programmes – alongside much better employee engagement and development – within companies have become the norm during the past few years. Private health plans have been the standard offering, but now employers have developed supportive programmes to ensure that employees’ wellbeing – both health and happiness – are satisfied. It is no longer about dealing with the effects but addressing the contributing factors before they become an issue. The office is also a contributing factor to the physical wellbeing and health of workers.

Companies are fully aware of the cost of ill employees. The impact is not just about absenteeism, but also reduced productivity when employees are not fully fit. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of UK office workers spend more than 70% of their time sat at their desk. London office employees spent a lower amount of their time at the desk and spent comparatively more time in break-out, quiet areas and outside space, including roof terraces. This shows regional differences in the UK driven by the types of office fit-outs and/or the type of work performed in an office.

Furthermore, 46% of respondents spent their lunch break at their desk. This may be caused by a lack of suitable eating areas in the building. Another potential cause is the rise of presenteeism where staff feel pressured to spend long periods at their desk which may ultimately result in falling levels of productivity.

Given the reliance on technology many businesses have, it is unsurprising that the survey uncovered that the amount of ‘computer work’ in an employee’s typical working day is significant. Around 30% of survey respondents spend over 50% of their working day on this activity. Email dominates a lot of the employees’ time with a fifth spending more than 20% of their day writing or reading e-mail. This could potentially have negative repercussions for employees’ health in the future and therefore occupiers need to implement suitable health measures that could alleviate any future health problems. In terms of what the office employee would most like to change, this recent survey showed that 9% would most like to change their colleagues (12% their line manager). In Savills 2016 survey, 11% would like to change their colleagues – so what has changed? This represents an 18% improvement in the negativity towards our colleagues. Despite a division over Brexit, we see this as a positive for the UK office environment and an enabler of increased productivity in the future.

Finally, many other factors will contribute to the employees’ happiness with the office. Not least, the commute to the office. Savills found it interesting to look at the method of commute and the employees' view on the offices' impact on their mental health. Of those that drive to work, only 37% believe the office has a positive impact, overall, on their mental health. Those that run/jog, the positive responses increases to 55% – we assume these are healthier employees or does the potential stress of driving associate itself with the destination, i.e. the office.

_{Read the articles within Savills What Works Want Survey below.}