The figures for November, released this week, show a minimal year-on-year increase and a dip in the fourth quarter of 2015

Productivity in November 2015 dropped by 0.7% compared to October but showed a slight year-on-year increase of 0.9%, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The total output in manufacturing has seen a particular fall. It decreased by 1.2% in November compared to 12-months previously. The manufacture of machinery & equipment (down 13.7%) was the main contributor to the poor overall picture in the sector.

Global productivity has struggled to show any significant growth since the global crash of 2008. But the problem is particularly pronounced in the UK. A recent CBI report suggested the UK’s productivity is up to 20 percentage points behind the G7 average.

Leesman CEO and productivity expert Tim Oldman believes practices in the workplace contribute to Britain’s productivity woes.

“We have spoken to more than 135,000 employees across the world and the latest data has revealed that office environments can and do hinder productivity,” he said.

“There’s a woeful lack of science being applied to the workplace environment. Organisations must, alongside skills, investment and infrastructure, include the workplace in their productivity focus. Those that do will boost productivity and their organisation performance.”