Team spirit?
Over two thirds of office workers (66%) dread team building exercises, while 52% describe them as 'childish and embarrassing', in a poll of 1,500 workers by recruitment firm Office Angels. The survey revealed that most staff preferred leisure activities or a team night out - human table football and dancing competitions were amongst the favourite choices.

E-mail ban
British company Phones 4u has banned office e-mails and is encouraging staff to get on the blower or speak face-to-face instead. The mobile phone business reckons the ban is saving staff three hours a day, equal to £1m a month.

Tie's the limit
British civil servant Matthew Thompson took his employee to court for making him wear a collar and tie - and won. The Jobcentre worker succeeded in a sex discrimination case this year, arguing that it was unfair for him to have to dress formally when his female colleagues did not.

Office ills
Office 'sickies' account for around 2.2m lost working days a year and have remained at consistent levels for the last 20 years, according to government stats. The most common age for illness amongst females is between the ages of 20-24, whilst for men its 25-29.

Gender agenda
The average working week has increased by half a day for women but fallen slightly for men in the last 5 years, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Men now spend around 44.8 hours a week in the office, while women are catching up at 33.9 hours.

Stressed staff
Work-related stress is the second biggest cause of occupational ill-health according to the Health and Safety Executive. Up to 5m Britons say they feel stressed at work and the HSE estimates that stress in the office costs Britain up to £3.8bn a year.

Office amour
Office romance is flourishing due to Britain's long hours work culture, according to a poll of 9,000 workers by recruitment firm Fish4jobs. It found that 1 in 5 office romances started through working late together or an after-work drink, while 10% flourished in the canteen and 1% in the lift. It concludes that cupid's arrow is as likely to strike at work as in a bar or through friends.