When good offices go bad
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:20 PM

Here's a retention issue I bet you don't think about too much: your office building.

Yup, according to a new piece in HR Executive Online:

One-third of office employees worry their buildings are unhealthy or unsafe, and 20 percent say conditions in their offices are hurting productivity and motivation, a new survey has found.

And all this is a reflection on the employer. More than three-quarters of those surveyed say the condition of their office buildings affect how they see their companies. And, 17 percent say they've left a job because they disliked their building's conditions or amenities.

Nearly one-third of those surveyed complained of unclean or under-stocked rest rooms. Among other gripes cited by office workers were outdated furniture and decor (28 percent), unexplained odors or foul/unclean air (21 percent), rodents/insects (20 percent), theft/crime (21 percent) and leaky ceilings and windows (21 percent).