What kind of office would tempt home workers back into the workplace?

Since the pandemic, many people have chosen not to return to the office, but could a more appealing workspace tempt people back in?

A recent study said more than half of UK workers (55 per cent) said they would be more inclined to head into the office if the design and workplace facilities were more to their taste.

Experts at instantprint asked AI art tool Midjourney to visualise the nation’s dream office space based on the survey choices of 2,000 workers.

And topping the list of dream office design features for the nation’s workforce were sofas or a comfortable seating area – 35 per cent.

Real plants trumped faux plants with more than a quarter (27 per cent) of the votes, compared to artificial grass and fake flower walls which were both favoured by less than ten per cent of respondents (7 per cent).

Additionally, better food and drink facilities could be the way to get people back into the office, according to the findings.

Dog-friendly offices trumped child-friendly options when it comes to UK employees dream office space.

Almost all UK workers (98 per cent) said they’d not want to work in an office with a lack of windows or natural light.

Industrial (3 per cent) and ‘dark academic’ interior styles (3 per cent) were also unpopular.

When it came to workplace facilities, more than a third (34 per cent) voted free fruit as this their most desired choice at work.

In fact, seven of the top ten most desirable facilities in a working office related to food and drink, with coffee machines (33 per cent), free biscuits or snacks (31 per cent), a fridge (31 per cent), a kettle (29 per cent), a water cooler (28 per cent), and a microwave (26 per cent) all high on the list of dream workplace facilities.

Facilities related to exercise were much lower on the list of desirables though, with exercise bike desks (17 per cent), under desk treadmills (15 per cent) and an onsite gym (13 per cent) all securing less than a fifth of the votes, respectively.

Despite an ever-growing focus on being kinder to the environment, a paperless office (i.e. an office with no printer) was not deemed a desirable office feature with 96 per cent of Brits not selecting this as a top feature. That said, recycling features were important for one in six (15 per cent) employees.

Laura Mucklow, Head of instantprint, said: “We found it fascinating to see the difference in opinions when it comes to the nation’s dream workplace.

"Equally, it’s really interesting to learn that décor and facilities can be such a big draw for so many UK employees in heading back to the office – especially when it comes to food and drink!

“With an abundance of natural light, plenty of plants, woody aesthetics, and not forgetting the addition of a cute dog, the AI visuals of the nation’s dream office space is certainly somewhere we’d be happy to work from.

“That said, whilst the aesthetic of the least favourite office set up is much moodier with less natural features, we think the office space still has a certain appeal.”

For the full report, visit https://www.instantprint.co.uk/printspiration/be-inspired/the-nations-dream-office-space