Half of office workers are looking for a different workplace to improve their focus
New research by Maastricht Marketing shows that Dutch office workers feel the need for a break from their everyday working environment.
Alongside their regular duties, many Dutch office professionals spend a large part of their working week on internal tasks. These tasks require concentration but are often interrupted in the office. To be able to work on these tasks in peace, half of these professionals actively avoid the office, according to new research commissioned by Maastricht Marketing. This clashes with the growing demand from employers for staff to return to the office more often – a debate that is also flaring up in the media. At the same time, a third prefer to travel to a different environment to improve their concentration; Maastricht Marketing is responding to this with a range of weekday ‘workations’.
For nearly four in ten office professionals (39%), more than a quarter of their daily workload – in addition to their regular duties – consists of internal tasks such as administration, preparing for meetings and drawing up annual plans. Although this work requires concentration, this is often not possible in a standard workplace: 51 per cent say they cannot always concentrate on their own workstation, whilst 8 per cent say they are almost never able to do so. This is because the number of interruptions in the office is high: 58 per cent of those surveyed say they are always interrupted at some point during an average working day.
The wishes and needs of professionals
Research by Maastricht Marketing shows that office workers need peace and quiet and a distraction-free environment to complete their internal tasks efficiently. 71 per cent of those surveyed stated that a quieter, inspiring environment helps them do their work better. 63 per cent would like to work from a different location more often in order to concentrate, and 66 per cent believe this has a direct positive impact on their job satisfaction. Other items on the wish list include:
- A full diary (41 per cent)
- A workspace where they can work in a focused manner (40 per cent)
- Fewer interruptions (34%)
- A few days without notifications, phone calls or ad hoc meetings (34%)
About the survey
The survey was carried out by PanelWizard on behalf of Maastricht Marketing. The net sample for the survey consists of 560 Dutch employees aged 18 and over who work at least 24 hours a week in an office and who, in addition to their regular duties, occasionally carry out internal tasks. The survey is representative in terms of gender, age, labour force participation and education. The survey was carried out between 14 and 19 August 2026.
