ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

There are more baby boomers working in the UK than ever before; mixed-gender boards improve a company's productivity; and badly designed open plan offices can reduce happiness and productivity. These are just some of the findings from a workplace trends report recently published by services company Sodexo.

‘How Britain works: Key Trends in a Workplace Environment' was commissioned by Sodexo in the UK to understand the continuously adapting workplace environment in the country today.

The report identifies three key factors affecting the workplace: social trends, people trends and space trends.

Social trends mean the composition of the workforce is changing. While there are more baby boomers in the workplace, the demands and technology of younger employees have a significant influence on how organisations operate.

At the same time, more women are occupying senior management roles, with positive results on productivity. A greater emphasis on health and wellbeing mean companies offering employees healthy options and physical activities in the workplace see them more engaged.

• Between 2001 and 2011 there was a 96 per cent increase in workers aged 65 and over

• Companies with women on boards were found to outperform those without, with 42 per cent higher return in sales, 66 per cent return on invested capital and 53 per cent higher return on equity

• Technology will not only influence devices, but design of workplaces - in 2013 the cloud will account for a third of IT expenditure

• FTSE companies that track wellbeing outperform others by 10 per cent

• Physical activity has shown to have a direct impact on the workforce. Physically healthy employees are 20 per cent more productive and twice as likely not to be ill

• Well-lit, well-ventilated and comfortable workplaces increased productivity by as much as 16 per cent and job satisfaction by 24 per cent.

Click here to download the full Sodexo report