Water cooler moments could provide boost to the UK economy
14 November 2007

It may be renowned for time wasting and gossip but the humble water cooler could be responsible for making the office a healthier and more productive place, according to a major new survey.

The nationwide study, ‘Let’s Drink to Water’, conducted by YouGov, reveals that circa two thirds of the working population age in the UK only drink a maximum of three glasses of water a day, despite official guidelines advising more than double that amount.

Alarmingly, one in ten adults in the country regularly do not drink any water at all and only 6% are consuming above the recommended minimum daily levels.

This is despite official advice from the Food Standards Agency, which recommends six to eight glasses of water every day for UK residents.
It is medically proven that good hydration can help to improve workplace concentration, reduce headaches, prevent feelings of tiredness, anxiety and irritability and help prevent many of the minor health complications that can lead to lost productivity and absence from work. Indeed, just a 2% loss of body water can result in a 10% drop in physical and mental performance.

In the report, the lack of good water provision at work has been cited as one of the reasons for people not drinking more H20. In the UK only 39% of working age adults had access to a water cooler in their workplace. However, 62% of those who did have access to a water cooler said they have drunk more water as a result, whilst 40% of those who did not have access to a water dispenser said they would drink more if one was introduced.

Better access to water provision in the workplace is something already being dealt with by the UK’s largest public sector union Unison, which launched their Water@Work campaign at the beginning of 2007.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of Unison, said: “Workers work better if they are hydrated and have access to good clean drinking water and our Water@Work campaign is aimed at encouraging as many employers as possible to provide staff with accessible mains-fed water on the shop floor or office.”

More than 4,000 working age adults across the country took part in the survey, and the findings show that Londoners are the healthiest with 9% drinking nine glasses or more per day on a regular basis. Those in the Border region are the worst in terms of water consumption with some seven in 10 working age adults drinking less than three glasses a day.

The research clearly reveals a large proportion of the UK working age population still do not understand the benefits of proper hydration. More than a third (37%) of working age adults in the UK don’t think water is healthier than other beverages and prefer other tastier drinks, with 56% stating they mainly drink coffee, tea or sweet drinks.

The research was conducted by leading water dispenser service provider Premier Watercoolers.

For more information:
Sarah Rice: sarah@jbp.co.uk
Laura Tallett: laura@jbp.co.uk
Chris Lawrance: chris@jbp.co.uk
JBP Public Relations
0117 907 3400
www.jbp.co.uk

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