Beijing, Oct 23 (IANS): Chinese office workers are packed into floorspace over twice as cramped as their US and European counterparts, stressing them out and limiting their productivity, a new report has warned.

The density of desks in offices in China and Hong Kong has roughly doubled over the past decade, meaning that any given office now contains about twice as many workspaces as it did 10 years ago, the Global Times reported on Friday.

The average space per desk has shrunk from 100 sq.ft to 50-60 sq.ft each, according to research by CBRE, a commercial real estate services firm.

Density norms in the US and Europe are around 150 to 200 sq.ft per desk.

CBRE believes that giving office workers anything less than 60 sq.ft puts their productivity at risk.

Tightly packed desks lead to a lack of privacy, increased noise and distraction by neighbours.

"Benchmarking metrics, such as workplace density... are becoming more critical in helping corporate occupiers make informed workplace and real estate decisions, and manage their real estate as a strategic asset," said CBRE China executive Helmut Weih.