Cold? Uninspired? Can’t concentrate? Welcome to the British workplace

British offices are the coldest and ugliest in the world, according to a poll of 12,000 workers, which found that employees feel uncomfortable, uninspired and unable to concentrate at work.

Almost one in five UK workers would describe their office as chilly, the highest response from a study across 17 countries, while 13 per cent think their workplace is ugly, almost twice as high as the global average.

Ipsos polled 12,000 people on behalf of Steelcase, the solutions provider, to discover how office settings affect human engagement.

Nearly three in 10 Britons complained that their work space is “impersonal”, higher than the worldwide average of 18 per cent, while just 15 per cent said they would describe the atmosphere as “convivial”, compared to a global norm of 25 per cent.

Overall, a third of British workers said they disliked their work environment.

The study linked the UK’s below-par workforce engagement and satisfaction to the prevalence of openplan offices, the high number of nomadic workers and overcrowding.

Half of British workplaces are openplan – more than double the global average and the highest level in the study – which disrupts concentration and inhibits relaxation, the study said.

The ability to alter posture during the day, work in teams without being interrupted, and concentrate on the task in hand were all considerably below the global average.

Christine Congdon, of Steelcase, said: “When people feel like they have choice and control over various aspects of their physical work environment, it leads to greater satisfaction overall.”