Four in ten people admit their home working space is ‘organised chaos’, with empty snack packets, plates and cutlery, takeaway coffee cups and children’s toys cluttering it.
We surveyed 2,000 people who work from home and revealed the mounds of useless artefacts that swamp WFH workspaces, where fish tanks, makeup and cat treats featured among the items.
We found 14 per cent find themselves working in ‘junk rooms’ in the house - surrounded by boxes, dusty exercise equipment or old furniture.
While 13 per cent have used glasses littering their space, as well as Post-it notes (32 per cent), snacks (13 per cent) and discarded branded merchandise from the company they work for (five per cent) also wreaking havoc.
We found eight in ten have a dedicated workspace during their WFH days, although 39 per cent confessed their at-home spot is messier than their in-office alternative.
This is despite the fact that 87 per cent agree a tidy desk can impact your productivity when working, with 89 per cent saying their current home set up increases their efficiency.
Greig Millar, Chief Revenue Officer at Brother said: “Where the pandemic marked the beginning of a remote working structure to be adopted by businesses across the world, we’re now four years into the widely adapted working model.
“And we couldn’t help but wonder at the actual condition of peoples’ home working environments.
“Our research shows that professionals are letting their WFH setup fall by the wayside because it’s a space personal to them and not something they’d be as judged on by their colleagues, but we also know that messy spaces can impact our productivity.
“While so many of us are time-poor, finding ways to maintain organisation without requiring too much effort can have a positive impact on your workday.”
The study found 54 per cent agreed their working from home space needs a refresh.
A quarter (26 per cent) desire a dedicated room to work from, with spare bedrooms (20 per cent), living rooms (15 per cent) and dining rooms (nine per cent) currently among the locations where professionals have their permanent set up over an office or study (34 per cent).
When you’re working from home, it’s important to create a comfortable home office environment that works for you, and keeps you as productive, and efficient as possible.
That’s why we take so much care to design products that fit seamlessly into your working day.
So whether you work from home a couple of days a week or run your own business from your spare bedroom, we can help your home office flow better – so you can focus your time on getting things done.
Staying productive at home flows better with Brother.
Win a Messy Desk makeover
Hayley Harrison and Gemma Abraham, leading home organisers and founders of Organise-d, said: “With so many employees now working from home at least a few days a week, we have witnessed first-hand the negative effect a disorganised workspace can have on not only the person's mental health, but also on their productivity.
“A clean and tidy space means fewer distractions and therefore helps to make you more focused on the tasks in hand.
“A simple declutter, effective filing system and tech wire control are all easy ways to ensure your workspace is stress free and as calming as possible.
“We look forward to transforming the working from home office for one lucky winner."
Keep an eye out on Organise-d's Instagram account for details on how to enter*.
Find out what’s causing messy desks and what’s stopping people keeping them organised.
Find out how different generations approach desk mess. Click below to read the blog.
