Workplace Concentration

FUZZY THINKING IN THE OFFICE COSTS AUSTRALIAN EMPLOYEES $35 BILLION PER ANNUM

One in five Australian professionals are spending almost two days a week¹ unable to concentrate on their work – and it is costing bosses up to $17,760.60 per employee per year.²

In a study undertaken for Lipton to understand how clearly professional Australians think at work, 22% admitted that they can only concentrate for 40 minutes of every hour – and this decreases further to only 15-20 minutes when they are in long, drawn out meetings.¹

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) there are 1,995,100 professional working Australians². The Lipton study, which included speaking to those in IT, engineering, marketing and law, revealed that professional Australians spend an average of 7.65 hours a week in meetings and fifteen percent of those questioned revealed that they are in meetings for more than 15 hours of every week.²

The research was conducted as part a scientific study into the effects of Theanine, a natural component of tea which stimulates brain activity, known as alpha waves.  Alpha brain waves are associated with promoting a relaxed, yet alert state of mind.³

The original research conducted by Oxford University suggests that just 50mg of Theanine, the amount found in just two to three cups of tea, is all that is needed to achieve this state.³

Leading Australian nutritionist, Catherine Saxelby, says that drinking tea can be a powerful workplace tool to help employees.

“The recent understanding of Theanine further reinforces the importance of how what we drink and eat impacts our mental performance,” Saxelby says.

“Many Australian professionals spend long hours sitting still – in meetings and in front of the computer. New research has revealed drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day may have a positive effect of maintaining alertness throughout the day.⁴”

While 88% of those questioned said that their company provides tea at work, less than half say that tea is served during meetings.¹ 

Further benefits of tea include that:

• It is a great source of flavonoid antioxidants^5,6 that may help us to maintain healthy cells and tissues by reinforcing our body’s natural defence system.
  
  
• Provides a great way to help keep your body refreshed and quench your thirst
  
  
• When drunk on its own (without milk or sugar) tea contains virtually no kilojoules or calories, so is a great partner if you are watching your weight.
  
  
• There is a link between regular tea consumption and heart health - drinking three cups of tea per day may help with heart health

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