Uncovered: The reason why Gen Z have the messiest desks

How much of an impact would you say our age has on our work environment? 

Turns out it has quite a big one! 

One of the most striking findings of our Messy Desks research is a really clear correlation between our age and how organised we are. 

In almost every case, it seems that, as we become older, we also become tidier and less tolerant of clutter in our workspaces. 

Though younger people tidy up more often, they just can’t help making a mess, especially at meal times! 

We surveyed 2,000 adults who work from home, from Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 to Generation Z, born after 1996. 

Cramped and chaotic 

Gen Z respondents told us they work an average 3.4 days a week from home, while Baby Boomers work an average 4.2 days a week from home. 

Average number of home working days a week 

• Baby Boomers: Born 1946–1964 - 4.2 
• Generation X: Born 1965–1980 - 4.1 
• Millennials: Born 1981–1996 - 3.8 
• Generation Z: Born 1996–2012 - 3.4 

However, it seems younger workers may be choosing to work in the office because their home working environment is far from ideal. 

Generation Z is the group that is least likely to have a dedicated office space, likely reflecting the fact that they are more likely to have smaller homes with fewer rooms. 

Accordingly, our survey found that the younger you are, the more chaotic your homeworking space is likely to be; just 7% of Baby Boomers describe their home working space as ‘organised chaos’, rising to 28% of Gen Zs. 

And a quarter of Gen Zs say they are ‘surrounded by junk’ like boxes, dusty exercise equipment or old furniture when they work, compared with just 7% of Boomers. 

Dining at your desk 

The amount of junk that Gen Zs are surrounded by is not ideal, but it does seem that the younger homeworkers are at least making an effort to keep their workspace tidy; seven in ten say they tidy up their workspace at least once a week, while only just over half of Baby Boomers do the same. 

So, it seems that, while younger people tidy up more often, they also make more of a mess. 

Just 39% of Gen Z respondents say they are tidy by nature, which rises to 56% of Baby Boomers, suggesting that younger people naturally create more clutter. 

And it looks like this is down to one big generational difference; younger people are far more likely to eat and drink at their desks. 

Just check out these stats for proof of the items we have on their desks: 

Generation Z

• Snacks 31%
• Biscuits 13%
• Empty snack packets 9%
• Tea/coffee/hot chocolate 10% 
• Used plates and/or cutlery 10%
• Empty takeaway coffee cups 7%
• Food containers 7% 
• Condiments e.g. ketchup 5%
• Takeaway packaging 5% 

Baby Boomers 

• Snacks 6% 
• Biscuits 6% 
• Empty snack packets 3% 
• Tea/coffee/hot chocolate 2% 
• Used plates and/or cutlery 2% 
• Empty takeaway coffee cups 1% 
• Food containers 1% 
• Condiments e.g. ketchup 2% 
• Takeaway packaging 1% 

So, the lesson is, stop dining ‘al desko’ and do your eating elsewhere! 

Check out the other blogs in our Messy Desks series for more insights on the UK’s messy desks, and some tips for transforming your messy desk into organised comfort, here.