Over half of the UK's employees (55%) do not feel entitled to basic workplace courtesies like being able to talk to their colleagues about anything other than work, according to new research by youatwork.
Despite the fact that, as a nation, we spend more time with our work colleagues than any other country in Europe, it seems that certain employers are preventing workers from relaxing whilst at work. Nearly half (46%) of workers do not expect to be able to use the office telephone for private calls and over half (51%) are restricted from personal use of the internet and e-mail even in their own time whilst at work.
Conversely, the study suggests that even modest investments in staff benefits can have a disproportionate improvement in staff morale and motivation. Of the other perks or benefits that employees would expect as a matter of course, staff discounts (47% of those surveyed) and free refreshments (61%) rated highly, as did a staff canteen (47%) and air conditioning (55%).
