The Yawning Manchester 'Frustration Gap' Caused By Your Awful Office Buildings

A clean, tidy office is what matters most to Manchester office workers, but what they actually get is overheated, badly designed, noisy places with poor air quality.

That is the conclusion of a new study by Savills which reveals how far developers, landlords, interior designers and human resources managers are getting it wrong.

Manchester office workers are the least satisfied with the internal design of their workspace compared with anywhere else in the UK, according to the brokerage firm's What Workers Want report.

Amongst Manchester workers, only 23% are highly satisfied with the design of their office. Only a third are satisfied with the temperature at their place of work and just 13% are happy with the availability of free snacks and food. 

Top factors with which Manchester office workers are most dissatisfied: 

In line with the rest of the UK, Manchester office workers were most frustrated by the temperature at work. However, the internal design of the office is causing higher levels of frustration in Manchester than anywhere else in the UK, with 67% believing it to be important yet only 23% being satisfied, leading to a “frustration factor” gap of 44%.

Savills said this represents a significant opportunity for landlords, with many already recognising it as an area for improvement and consequently enhancing the design of office spaces and common areas.

“The opportunity is there for landlords to create office spaces that not only boost worker satisfaction, but also go on to enhance recruitment, helping to retain a talented and motivated workforce,” Savills Head of Manchester James Evans said.