The majority of businesses (68 per cent) still have a “traditional” working environment, which new research from Perkbox suggests is increasingly at odds with the modern workplace culture.
In a study of 1,600 UK companies measure key metrics, looking at themes ranging from flexible working to rewards programmes, it was found that only 15 per cent of respondents considered themselves to have a fun, creative, and modern workplace culture.
In addition, 78 per cent said they had no fun or breakout space, 49 per cent had no option to work from home and 49 per cent had no formal reward and recognition scheme in place.
Only 17 per cent were ranked as emerging new culture workplaces, which are those in a process of transition from traditional to modern and offer more perks and improved work-life balance. Around 15 per cent were ranked as fun, creative cultures – those that offer a variety of benefits.
Chieu Cao, co-founder and CEO Perkbox, said: “The research tells me employers are struggling to understand the difference between traditional and younger employees, the dangers of a uniform culture and the need for a dynamic one. Demotivation, poor employee engagement, high absenteeism and low staff retention are all key factors behind the UK’s poor ranking in global productivity.
“Innovation is not as daunting as it sounds. It comes from creating autonomy in a collaborative environment, from motivating and rewarding initiative. That’s often all it takes to allow people’s individuality and authenticity to shine.”
The study also explored some specific perks and benefits, and found that 63 per cent of businesses did not offer any gym membership or discount, 49 per cent did not offer flexible hours or an option to work from home, 24 per cent did not share the status of the business openly with the entire staff, and 28 per cent did not facilitate any team bonding activities outside the office.
