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Employees work better if they carry out the same daily rituals such as drinking from the same cup or even using the same toilet according to research.
A survey, by recruitment firm Office Angels, finds that daily routines like wearing a favourite tie or using the same ruler could be the key to outperforming colleagues who are not such creatures of habit.
Fifty per cent of office workers claim that they feel more confident after completing their daily rituals and that they leave them in a positive frame of mind.
Paul Jacobs, Office Angels’ director of corporate communications, claims that rituals help to prevent workplace stress.
He said, “People tend to impose these workplace rituals upon themselves as a way of gaining control over situations or to help them feel more at home and able to cope with the daily stresses and strains."
Three quarter of employees treat themselves when they complete a task they hate.
The research finds that rituals create a sense of security and sometimes even extend to using the same toilet cubical each day, even if it means waiting for it to become empty.
The survey of 1,500 employees shows that four out of ten employees always drink from a favourite mug while three quarters mark out their workplace territory by putting names on rulers, staplers and hole punchers.
Sixty per cent regularly wear a favourite tie or an expensive suit to work in the belief that it will improve performance and boost their confidence in meetings.
