75% of employees say office noise affects performance – Unispace
80% of employees said there were more distractions in the office than when working from home.
Employees want calm, comfort and customisation at work, but most offices are still missing the mark, research from Unispace found.
Three-quarters (75%) of employees said noise and distractions held back their performance.
One in four (25%) said their workplace was not comfortable, while just 21% felt their space did not support their role.
Rob Frank, CEO at EMEA, said: “The office is no longer in crisis; it’s in progress. We’ve gone from reluctance to rhythm, and the focus now is on getting back to basics.
“The message is consistent across Europe: give people calm, comfortable, customised spaces, and they will deliver.”
80% of employees said there were more distractions in the office than when working from home.
Nearly half (48%) said a desk or personal workspace was the most important area, but also the most underperforming.
In 2025, staff spent an average of 2.9 days in the office, 1 day at home, and 1.1 days in other spaces like co-working hubs or cafés.
Related
Employer searches for wellbeing support drops as burnout rises – New Leaf Health
Young workers twice as likely as senior staff to prefer full-time office working – CV-Library
36% of frontline workers are considering leaving jobs within the next 12 months – Kahoot!
Poor workforce health costs economy £241bn annually in lost productivity, Vitality finds
One in three employees anxious about asking for a pay rise, data finds
Nearly half of UK workers witness inappropriate workplace behaviour, research finds
33% of workers delay financial decisions over unclear payslips – Zellis
68% of UK workers use AI tools at work, research finds
43% of middle managers feel disconnected from company values, data finds
95% of restaurant managers say AI rota scheduling is effective, study finds
70% of female freelancers plan to remain self-employed, data finds
