Environmental Conditions and Employee Productivity: Is Your Building Costing You Output?

We’ve all had those days at work: projects seem to have stalled, and nothing’s getting ticked off the to-do list.  The majority of employees work eight-hour days, but findings show employees are only actually productive two hours and 53 minutes of that time.

But, what if staff productivity is related to your office setup.  Studies show that 83% of employees find they are more productive when they work from home, when they have more control over comforts like their home office temperature, the amount of light in the room and more. Yet, 65% of companies still mandate that their employees come into the office a set number of days a week.

So, what is it about office life that kills output? In this piece, experts give their insight on the temperature, light and layout of many offices and why it can affect productivity levels at work.

1. Temperature wars

Over 60% of employees admit to feeling less productive in the summer months, with almost 30% losing an hour of work per day due to uncomfortable office temperatures and a lack of proper ventilation.

46% of office workers say their working environment swings between extremely hot and freezing cold, with more than half of employees claiming to have had a disagreement with a fellow team member, thanks to conflicting opinions about the correct temperature.

Paul Ives, Rental Sales Specialist from Daikin Rental Solutions knows a thing or two about the negative effects a poorly maintained HVAC system can have on a workplace.

“It’s a fact that almost 65% of UK office workers are dealing with uncomfortable temperatures on a daily basis, with 65% claiming this directly affects our ability to produce good work – or even any work at all,” Paul explains.

“You know it’s bad when more than 40% of workers resort to wearing outdoor clothes at their desks to keep warm, while almost 15% opt to leave the office early because they are so uncomfortable.

“Ensuring that you have a climate control system that works for everyone is a vital consideration for offices and co-working spaces – especially as climate change continues to worsen. We’re set to see even more deep-freeze winters and sweltering summers, so making sure your office is prepped for the changes is more of a concern than ever.”

2. Lazy layouts

Finding an office layout that works for everyone can be tricky – but too many offices feature the same partitioned row of desks that can lead employees to feel isolated and inspire a low mood. However, open-plan layouts don’t fare much better, with 37% of open-plan office workers claiming that this setup negatively affects their productivity levels.

Office design experts Claremont did a deep dive into the effects of negative office design in their recent report: The Workplace Oooh! It’s telling that almost 50% of all workers find their workplace design uninspiring.

“The office has taken on a new role. It’s no longer the everyday place for work, so it must work much harder to make itself relevant and inviting,” says Sarah Syson, Claremont’s Head of Design.

Interestingly, over 80% of today’s employees now expect an experience when they head into the office.

“The office needs to give employees the feelings and experiences that lone working leaves us wanting,” Sarah continues.

Employees want a space that makes them feel inspired, productive, creative and social – rather than just somewhere to get their work done. Work-from-home culture has shown that this is possible anywhere – the office needs to become so much more than a row of desks.

3. Light levels

We all know that natural light is the best for our bodies, but it can be hard to prioritise during the work day – especially during the darker winter months. When it comes to productivity, though, research shows that lack of exposure to natural daylight is costing businesses a staggering £61bn+ a year.

Kevin Brown, a Renovation Specialist from The Heritage Window Company, who operate within the commercial property sector, explains:

“If you’re working in an environment that lacks natural daylight, your productivity levels are likely to decline – sometimes by up to 15%! Poor light can also lead to other issues that affect your ability to produce great work, such as eye strain, fatigue and even headaches.

“This is especially true of office workers, who can spend hours shielded from natural daylight each day, but become overly exposed to the blue light of their computer screens. Everyone knows blue light messes with our sleep-wake cycle, which can in turn drastically affect our productivity.

“It’s crucial that employers ensure their staff have access to plenty of natural light when in the office – helping to boost mood, enhance concentration and avoid that productivity slump.”

Now, despite what you might be thinking, it’s not all doom and gloom. Although only 21% of employees feel genuinely productive during the workday, UK productivity has actually risen in recent months.

Government research indicates that output per employee was 2.1% higher in Q3 of 2025, than during the same period in 2019. The UK actually comes in as the fourth most productive out of all the G7 countries, behind America, Germany and France. A few smart changes could help boost our productivity and push us into that top three.