British office workers need to rethink how they spend their time in the office, according to the results of a survey commissioned by The Work Foundation and Microsoft.

The research found that only 11% of office workers thought of their offices as a ‘creative environment’ with more than a third labelling their place of work ‘uninspiring’.

It found that friendly colleagues (64%) and a friendly boss (51%) are seen as the most important considerations when looking for a job (aside from salary). 

The research found that 78% of the people questioned believe that working out of the office is the future for the workplace. The survey also revealed that more than half of British office workers would be happier if there was a greater element of mobile working in their jobs, while 16% said that they would actually leave their jobs within six months if their boss wasn’t open to flexible working.

James McCarthy, mobile working expert at Microsoft, says: “We need to redefine the term office work. Far too many of us endure a daily commute, only to sit at our desks and work on jobs that we could do from anywhere with an internet connection. So when in the office, I urge office workers to consider leaving their desks and taking the opportunity to go and interact with their colleagues instead.

“Office noise is often seen as a distraction, when it’s actually a good barometer for the creativity and energy of an office. For tasks that require total concentration arguably the worst place to be is at your desk. We should be using our office time to make the most of the relationships we have with colleagues.”

Microsoft is encouraging employees and employers to join the debate at www.moof.com.