The Workplace Icks Making Office Workers Want to Work From Home
A new poll of office workers has revealed the habits and environmental frustrations that could be pushing employees towards working from home, with five of the eight people surveyed saying their workplace environment had made them consider WFH.
The findings show that it is not necessarily major workplace problems causing frustration, but everyday “icks” including loud personal phone calls, strong food smells, constant interruptions and colleagues leaving mess behind.
A survey of employees at a UK workplace found that loud personal phone calls at desks were the most commonly selected office ick.
Other common workplace frustrations included strong food smells, colleagues talking loudly, constant interruptions and meeting rooms being booked but left unused. Respondents also pointed to dirty mugs being left in the sink and colleagues making TikTok or social media videos in the office as irritating behaviors.
The Workplace Icks Employees Highlighted Included:
Loud personal phone calls at desks
Strong food smells
Colleagues talking loudly while others are trying to work
Constant interruptions
Meeting rooms being booked but not used
Dirty mugs being left in the sink
Making TikTok or social media videos in the office
The results also suggest that these everyday frustrations could influence where employees would prefer to work.
When asked whether they had ever considered working from home because of their office environment, five of the eight respondents said they would.
Rebecca Waller, workplace expert at Diamond Interiors, said:
“Employees are increasingly comparing their office environment with the level of comfort and control they have when working from home.
“At home, people may have more control over noise, interruptions, lighting and where they take calls, so if an office does not cater for those same basic needs, it can quickly become frustrating.
“What these responses highlight is that it is often the smaller, repeated irritations that can have the biggest impact on how someone feels about their workplace. One loud phone call might not seem significant, but if noise and interruptions are happening throughout the day, that can affect how comfortable people feel coming into the office.”
Noise, Lighting and Temperature Affecting Productivity
It was not just colleague behavior causing irritation.
When respondents were asked which part of their office environment had the biggest negative impact on productivity, noise, poor lighting and office temperature were tied as the most common answers.
A crowded office and a lack of meeting rooms were also identified as having a negative impact.
Rebecca added:
“Noise is one of the most common challenges in open-plan offices because different employees need different conditions to work effectively.
“Some people thrive in collaborative environments, while others need quieter surroundings when they are concentrating. Problems can arise when the office only caters for one way of working.
“Employers do not necessarily need to completely redesign their workplace. Creating designated quiet areas, offering private spaces for calls and thinking carefully about acoustics which can aid noise reduction and can help employees choose an environment that suits the task they are doing..”
Workers Want More Privacy in the Office
Privacy also emerged as a recurring theme in the responses.
When employees were asked to name just one thing they would improve about their office tomorrow, more privacy for calls was the most popular individual response, chosen by three of the eight workers. Kitchen cleanliness was selected by two employees, while better technology, commuting or parking and office temperature were also highlighted.
The desire for different working environments was reflected elsewhere in the survey too.
When asked which office improvement would make them happiest, respondents selected more quiet working spaces, more breakout areas and better lighting. Better desk chairs and stand-up desks were also chosen.
Rebecca said:
“Privacy does not have to mean putting everyone into individual offices. It is about giving people access to appropriate spaces when they need them.
“Employees should ideally have somewhere they can take a private call without disturbing colleagues, somewhere quiet to concentrate and separate areas where teams can collaborate.
“A flexible office gives employees options rather than expecting every task to be completed in exactly the same environment.”
She added:
“Lighting is another area that can sometimes be overlooked. Natural light, glare, poor artificial lighting and even where desks are positioned can influence how comfortable a workspace feels.
“The best workplaces tend to consider the whole employee experience rather than treating desks, lighting, acoustics and breakout areas as completely separate issues.”
Coming Into Work Ill is Another Office Ick
Employees were also asked which colleague behavior they would secretly like to ban.
Colleagues turning up to work while ill emerged as the most common frustration, with messy office kitchens another recurring complaint. Taking calls at desks and eating strong-smelling food were also among the behaviors employees said could make the office less appealing.
Rebecca continued:
“Workplace culture and workplace design often go hand in hand.
“An office can be beautifully designed, but if people feel they are constantly being interrupted or cannot find an appropriate space to work, the environment may still not be supporting them properly.
“The key is to understand how employees are actually using the office and where their frustrations are. Asking those questions can help businesses identify relatively simple changes that could make coming into work a much more positive experience.”
Methodology: The findings are based on eight completed responses to the Workplace Icks Survey collected between 11 August and 16 September 2026. The results should be treated as a snapshot of the office workers interviewed rather than representative of the UK workforce as a whole. Partial responses have been excluded from the analysis.
Diamond Interiors is a leading provider of commercial workspace solutions. We work with businesses of all shapes and sizes who are looking to refurbish their existing office, or move to new premises.
