Millions of Brits will be leading a ‘mole existence’ this winter – with the average office worker only seeing sunlight for 52 minutes a week, according to new research.
Nine in 10 rarely glimpse daylight during the winter months as they arrive at and leave work in the dark, according to a poll of 2000 workers by Get More Vitamin Drinks.
The average person will only leave the building for a total of 52 minutes during the week, although two-thirds admit there are at least two weeks in every month where they don’t spend any time outside at all.
Unsurprisingly, just under half of office workers believe their work suffers as a direct result of the lack of sunlight – with productivity dropping rapidly from around 2pm.
The study shows two thirds of office workers will start finding it difficult to concentrate by the early hours of the afternoon in winter as a direct result of being stuck inside.
A further four in 10 find themselves daydreaming if they’ve been sitting at their desk most of the day, while 24% start to make lots of mistakes. A fifth find it increasingly difficult to pay attention during meetings as the day progresses, while 43% get side-tracked easily.
13% of people polled admitted they often feel the need to have a little sleep at their desks during the winter months. One in 10 are unable to answer the phone coherently if they haven’t had enough sunlight, while 7% have been known to send emails to the wrong people.
And a lack of access to the outdoors does seem to affect people’s overall health and wellbeing on a day-to-day basis. The findings indicate people are more likely to feel tired and lethargic without sunlight – 36% will also feel grumpy and 34% feel unmotivated.
16% don’t feel able to function properly if they haven’t moved from the desk all day, while 28% say their mood switches from happy to depressed if they have to stay inside.
But despite knowing winter is all about shorter days and a lack of sunlight, two thirds of office workers are less likely to try and take a lunch break in the colder season. More than eight in 10 people don’t like to go out at lunch if its too cold, and 42% find the outdoors too dark and depressing. A further 31% prefer to bring in a warm lunch and simply eat at their desk as they continue working.
In addition to the average working week, 51% of adults claim there are some weekends during winter where they don’t leave the house either. As such, an incredible 55% reckon they suffer from the ‘winter blues’, and 73% don’t feel particularly motivated to do anything at this time.
Researchers found Brits are less likely to walk for pleasure in winter, while 28% of people will socialise less and 18% won’t bother popping in on friends.
Cycling, running, walking to and from work and exercise in general are all likely to wane during the winter months. Instead, Brits will eat more food, drink more alcohol and lead an altogether unhealthier lifestyle.
The study indicates two thirds of people will watch more movies in winter, 14% will play more computer games and four in 10 will spend longer in their pyjamas.
