Executive toys dying out: Mobility to blame?

The rise of trends such as hot-desking and remote working which see far fewer users tied to their desk from nine to five is causing a fall in the amount of personalisation of workstations - and an end to pot plants and executive toys.

Ten years ago knick-knacks, pictures, plants and toys adorned 89 per cent of workstations but, according to findings released by the Society for Human Resource Management, that figure has now dropped to just 59 per cent.

I have a rubber duck in the form of MR T from The A-team, a photo of Spaghetti Western scenery from Gran Canaria, a caricature of Paolo Di Canio...

Yet only a quarter of respondents blame their bosses for cutting down on such clutter - and that figure has actually fallen from 42 per cent of respondents in 1996 who claimed it was frowned upon by bosses.

The biggest change over the past 10 years is in the number of workers who claim not to have a permanent workstation - up from 11 per cent in 1996 to 35 per cent.

Of those respondents who do still personalise their work space, photographs are the most popular option with 84 per cent. Calendars (55 per cent) and flowers and plants (46 per cent) are also still favoured.

Don't just sit there...

Have you got the messiest desk in the tech industry? Or does tumbleweed blow across your keyboard? Put us in the picture at editorial@silicon.com.

silicon.com contacted a number of workers based in the tech heartland of the Thames Valley and found conflicting feelings on desk-clutter.

Mandy Hassall, an office worker based in Maidenhead, told silicon.com: "There's no room to personalise your desk any more these days, it's so cluttered with 'tools for the job'. I've got a Skype headset, a phone headset, a webcam and numerous other bits and bobs strewn across my desk. You're lucky if you can fit in one of those funny pencils with the amusing fluffy head on the end."

While Dan Bowsher an office worker based in Reading told silicon.com: "I have a rubber duck in the form of MR T from The A-team, a photo of Spaghetti Western scenery from Gran Canaria, a caricature of Paolo Di Canio from his days as a Sheffield Wednesday player and a Churchill nodding dog."