Figures confirm stagnant labour productivity levels

Today, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Productivity report has revealed that labour productivity, as measured by output per hour, grew by a mere 0.5%. However, the figures are 17% below an extrapolation based on its pre-downturn trend. Therefore, labour productivity per employee has failed to markedly rise since the global downturn.

Tim Oldman, CEO of Leesman, the global standard for measuring workplace effectiveness, argues that it is imperative that business leaders analyse the reasons behind poor productivity in order to improve business performance:

“As the costs of delivery continues to increase, and as finance directors continue to sacrifice property and infrastructure to save money, more and more workplaces pass a tipping point where their business spaces are failing to support the productivity of those they accommodate.”

Having spoken to 155,000+ employees worldwide, the latest Leesman figures (Q1 2016) have revealed that only 55% of employees believe their office environment allows them to work effectively.

The UK fares worse.

“Across 108 UK workplaces and 11,812 employees measured in the last 12-months, just 52% of office workers report that their workplace enables them to work productively, and 1 in 3 actively disagree with this statement,” said Oldman.

“This is having a continued impact on employees and creating “toxic workplaces” where efforts are being met with business environments that are simply not supporting people in the role they are employed to undertake. There’s a woeful lack of science being applied to the workplace environment. Organisations must include the workplace in their productivity focus. Those that do will boost their organisation’s performance.”

**Ends

Editors’ notes

About Leesman
Leesman is the true radiographer of the workplace providing organisations with detailed diagnostic data on how their workplaces are performing and how these compare to the Leesman benchmark database with 1,400 workplaces and more than 155,000 respondents across the world.

The Leesman Index is the world’s largest collection of independent workplace effectiveness data which is now providing insight into how employees are supported in the workplace.

Through an 11-minute, online questionnaire, Leesman assesses people’s satisfaction with their working environment across 90 areas. These include: workplace design and its ability to support productivity; workplace activities such as meetings and focused work; workplace features including natural light, noise and temperature control; and workplace facilities such as cleanliness, security, refreshments and IT.

Leesman does not offer consultancy, strategy, design or management services, so the survey is entirely independent. It simply helps organisations create better workplaces by arming them with the data that tells them where to invest their time and resources.

Leesman was set up in 2010 by Tim Oldman and Annie Leeson and includes data on workplaces in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors from across the world.

For more information please contact Jo Sutherland at Magenta Associates on 07943 833 295 / 01273 934295 or email jo.sutherland@magentaassociates.co.uk