How do you increase office productivity? Don’t stay in the office, of course

Researchers have discovered the secret to ultimate work place productivity – three days in the office and two days working from home.

According to a study of 1,019 British office workers by Hammonds, 82% said they would be more productive if they could split their working week with a ratio of three days in the office to two at home.

However, although the perfect balance includes two days at home – 52% of home-workers admitted to having a daily “siesta” – and a further eleven percent admitted working the day from their bed.

As for bosses, 34% said they were ‘flexible’ in terms of home working – but an old-fashioned 20% said they preferred their team to do a traditional 9–5.

And 2% of bosses said they do not trust their staff and want them where they can see them.

However, more than half (54% of bosses) claimed they were happy for their staff to work from home for some – or even all of the week as long as the job was done.

When asked to rate their overall productivity out of ten, the typical score was 7.4 at work, and 6.7 at home – on average.

Kirsty Oakes, a spokesperson for Hammonds Furniture, which commissioned the study said: “With working from home becoming increasingly popular in the UK, it is interesting to discover that dedicated work spaces aren’t considered a necessity, with people opting to work from their sofa, the kitchen table or even the bed!

“Having a dedicated space for working from home will enable you to still be as productive and focused as being in the office. This doesn’t necessarily need to be a devoted office room but it should be more than just a desk in a spare room. You should consider storage, lighting and how much space you will need for your work.”

It also emerged a large percentage make the most of working from home – by getting stuck into their workload in their pyjamas (10%) or even a onesie (9%).

Eleven percent however opted for a more formal attire of shirt and tie to get them geared up for a day of home working.

And it seems while we would all love to have more time at home during the week, even if it means working, we are still jealous of those who do so.

When asked how they felt about ‘home-workers’ 32& said they believed they ‘have it easy’, while 23% said ‘I work harder than them’.