Companies focus on office air quality to improve efficiency

Workplace health has been a major pain point for employers and office managers since the beginning of the pandemic. Many saw the influx of hand wipes and sanitizers, this forced multiple office spaces to look at the design of the office and to reimagine it in such a way as to improve health and efficiency. 

Harvard professor Joseph Allen says that air quality is one such safety measure that offices cannot overlook. Research dating much before the pandemic proves that the air the employees beath is empirical to their efficiency. Those who work in well-ventilated spaces with good air quality lead to better cognitive function and productivity. Allen through his Health Building program at Harvard T.H. conducted a study where he and his team constantly monitored 350 employees from across the globe for an entire year. They placed air quality sensors at their desks. The employees would constantly be pinged to take some cognitive function test to measure in real-time the impact of air quality on work.

Salesforce which is one of the companies that worked with Allen in their COGfx study says that attracting and retaining talent will now be based on the safety of the work environment. The Salesforce opened a tower in San Fransico in 2018 and has received high environmental scores. They believe that it is important to make sure that the employee knows why a certain design is adopted and how the implications directly affect their health. Regular indoor testing of the air quality is part of the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design or LEED certificate given to green buildings by the US Green Buildings Council. Overall, the activity is said to bring about a holistic improvement in the working environment and well-being of employees. 

Source: CNBC