Office workers asked to go naked

NEWCASTLE, England, July 2 (UPI) -- A British business consultant said he was able to improve a firm's productivity by convincing office staff to work for one day in the nude.

David Taylor, a self-proclaimed "business psychologist," said he was called in to help onebestway, a design and marketing company in Newcastle, England, after the company began losing money and had to fire six workers this spring, The Sun reported Thursday.

"Inviting an organization to go naked is the most extreme technique I've used," Taylor said. "It may seem weird but it works. It's the ultimate expression of trust in yourself and each other."

Managing Director Mike Owen, 40, and his employees said the company has vastly improved since the experiment, which was filmed for cable channel Virgin 1's July 9 special, "Naked Office."

"We're either brave or mad. But I did tell everyone they didn't have to do it -- only if it felt right," Owen said. "As a creative company, we persuade our clients to be brave, and this was about taking on some of the braveness ourselves."

The employees eased in to the challenge, performing tasks such as photocopying parts of their bodies and drawing a nude model. On the big day, all but three went naked, while one man wore a posing pouch and two women drew the line at black underwear.

That left Sam Jackson, 23, as the only woman to take it all off.

"It was brilliant," she said. "Now that we've seen each other naked, there are no barriers."