For the fifth time, readers of the OFFICE ROXX blog were surveyed on the topic of indoor climate in the office. Well over 600 office workers took part in this year’s survey on behalf of the PrimaBüroKlima initiative. The results show that there has been some progress in certain areas, but overall there is still much to be done.

When asked what school grade they would currently give the indoor climate in their company office, respondents gave an average grade of 2.8. This is slightly better than in 2024 (3.0) and 2023 (3.3) – but almost identical to the figures for 2022 (2.8) and 2021 (2.7). There is no clear upward trend, but the tendency is positive. There is still a long way to go before we achieve a truly good office climate – at least from an air quality perspective.

Complaints remain persistent

This year, many survey participants again reported health complaints and symptoms that may be attributable to a poor indoor climate in the office workplace. As in previous years, dry eyes were the most frequently cited complaint (43 per cent). Headaches (28 per cent) and concentration problems (25 per cent) followed in second and third place. Other symptoms included dry mucous membranes (17 per cent), fatigue (15 per cent), dry skin and voice problems (12 per cent each). Only about one in eight (12 per cent) reported no symptoms whatsoever.

Compared to 2024, the level of the main symptoms has remained largely stable (dry eyes: 45 per cent, headaches: 26 per cent, concentration problems: 24 per cent). ‘Although there has been some progress here and there – possibly due to measures taken by companies in recent years to improve the indoor climate – a five-year comparison shows that these complaints have not decreased significantly,’ comments Dr Robert Nehring, spokesperson for the PrimaBüroKlima initiative.

Temperature and humidity in need of improvement

Respondents were also asked what problems they might have in the office workplace. The results are also in line with those of previous years’ surveys. They show that indoor climate factors in the workplace are generally perceived as rather unsatisfactory. Problems with air temperature are widespread: 43 per cent find their offices ‘too warm’ and 30 per cent ‘too cold’. Added to this are difficulties with humidity: half (52 per cent) complain that the air is ‘too dry’ and a quarter (25 per cent) that it is ‘too humid’. Other problems relate to air velocity (‘draughts’) at 29 per cent, odours at 27 per cent and fresh air supply at 49 per cent.

“The comparatively high proportion of responses citing “too cold” is surprising. This could be due to heating temperatures being lowered for cost-saving purposes. Are belts being tightened in some places due to the economic downturn? The high figures for “too warm” can possibly be explained by the survey period – at the beginning of September, many people may still have had the warm summer in mind,” says Dr Robert Nehring.

From monitoring to office flora

Trust is good, control is better – this also applies to indoor air quality. An important tool for this is CO2 monitoring. Measuring devices monitor the carbon dioxide concentration in the indoor air. Fortunately, there has been slight progress in this area this year: 21 per cent of respondents now actively monitor the air quality in their working environment – an increase of four and six per cent compared to 2024 and 2023 respectively. Nevertheless, almost half of all companies (45 per cent) do not use such indoor air measuring instruments for ‘indoor air monitoring’. In previous years, however, the figure was much higher, at 57 per cent (2024) and 60 per cent (2023).

Green plants have traditionally been very popular in office working environments. But now there has been a shift. This year’s survey saw a shift in office flora for the first time: 46 per cent of respondents said that there were a significant number of plants in their working environment. However, this was no longer the case for 47 per cent. This means that, for the first time, offices without greenery are in the majority, which may also be due to the current trend towards artificial plants.

Wind of change remains a gentle breeze

This year, for the first time, there has been a decline in the willingness to invest in solutions to improve indoor air quality in the workplace compared to previous years. Only 18 per cent of companies want to allocate funds for such measures in 2025. Last year, the figure was four per cent higher. The budget allocated for this purpose is correspondingly smaller: five per cent of companies want to spend up to £500, six per cent up to £1,000 and seven per cent more than £1,000. The declining willingness to invest reflects the current general reluctance to invest.

Conclusion of the ‘Great Office Climate 2025’ survey

The fifth ‘Great Office Climate’ survey makes it clear that a truly good, healthy office environment is still a long way off. Although satisfaction has improved slightly to an average score of 2.8, the fundamental problems remain. Dry eyes, headaches and concentration problems continue to be part of everyday office life for many employees. Almost half of those surveyed complain about insufficient fresh air supply, and both heat and cold continue to cause discomfort. In addition, willingness to invest is declining.

‘Instead of optimism, there is caution, which is in line with the challenging economic times,’ summarises Dr Robert Nehring. ‘Without greater investment and clear measures to improve temperature, humidity and fresh air supply, the office climate for many employees will continue to be only “satisfactory” in the future – with all the consequences for health, well-being and productivity.’

About the survey

The ‘Great Office Climate 2025’ survey was conducted among readers of the OFFICE ROXX blog from 1 to 14 September 2025. It consisted of 13 questions. 81 per cent of the 645 survey participants are employees, while 11 per cent are self-employed. 24 per cent of respondents make decisions regarding the ventilation and air conditioning equipment in their company’s offices. When asked about the size of the company they work for, 21 per cent said it had 1–10 employees, 31 per cent said it had 11–100 employees, 17 per cent said it had 101–500 employees and 31 per cent said it had more than 500 employees. The average age of respondents was 43. Fifty-two per cent of respondents were female and 48 per cent were male.