Given the British weather, it might be difficult to spot the sun this summer but a new survey claims office workers chained to their desks now see less sunshine than coal miners.

According to BT, ‘chain-desking’ is responsible for the majority of city workers enjoying less than an hour’s sunlight per day, with nearly a quarter of employees it surveyed seeing less than 20 minutes.

And it could be taking its toll as nearly two thirds of workers admit they are depressed at the thought of not being able to get away from their desks, and four in five feel unmotivated by the thought of being stuck indoors. Some even admitted to thinking about throwing a ‘sickie’ to boost their daylight exposure.

Better access to remote working is being touted as one solution to redress the balance. Otherwise, Stephen Alambritis, spokesperson for the Federation for Small Businesses, foresees this lack of fresh air as becoming a significant sap on productivity: “Lack of sunshine or outdoors activity has an enormous effect on morale and productivity is likely to drop in tandem,” he said.