Are your employees often complaining about throat irritation or headaches during office hours? Is your HR always fighting against the increase of absenteeism in the company? Are you constantly dealing with emails and text messages of your teammates falling sick every other day?
If the answer is yes, your employees are probably suffering from Sick Building Syndrome. It is a common term for a series of symptoms that occur only during office hours to 2 out of every 10 employees. SBS (Sick Building Syndrome) is a result of poor infrastructure which directly attributes to poor ventilation – Causing bad indoor air quality in a working environment.
When a person suffers from Sick Building Syndrome that is caused due to breathing bad air quality, they may experience severe headaches, feel nauseous or even have difficulty breathing normally. In a working environment, a company can’t afford to lose any business on account of an employees’ health and vice versa.
What forms a healthy working environment?
In this competitive world, on average, a person spends about 9-10 hours of his day in an office. It is the only environment in which he/she remains closest to after one’s home. If this environment is not healthy, it is a definite hindrance when it comes to proper functionality. This doesn’t just bring a big question mark to one’s existence but also brings a person’s entire morale down.
Also. Read – Pollution Is Your Biggest Enemy: What Step Are You Taking?
A challenging working ambiance that has a beautiful view outside can never be termed as a great working space.
Here are 3 reasons that tell us the importance of great infrastructure for a healthy working environment.
Employees work efficiently
An employee performs at his best only when he enjoys working in the office. It doesn’t matter if the person is chained to a desk or has to be mobile at all times, as long as the office surrounding is beaming with energy the workplace will always be alive and going. The energy of a healthy working environment can only come from great infrastructure. Workplace environment has a direct impact on the human mind. It doesn’t just boost productivity but also helps the employees work efficiently. It also keeps them focused and more interested in doing their parts so that the business keeps growing.
Businesses make more profits
A healthy environment endows the employees with positive energy which only improves the willingness to work. A common trait found in office space is employees getting tired due to constantly sitting in the same place inhaling air that is inclined towards bad AQI notions. This poses serious issues when employees keep taking coffee and cigarette breaks. A positive environment that has every aspect in the right place also encourages the risk-taking spirit. This gives space for more creative work that automatically amps up the company’s profits.
Team bonding and communication
Improving the overall work environment is an effective way to keep employees healthy for a flourishing business. If the team isn’t breathing good air, it is a definite no-no on the communication front. Communication, which is one of the key factors in any company, can also be harmed by this inability to function well. Installing Air Quality Index (AQI) monitors in the office buildings helps in monitoring indoor and outdoor air quality. It can help the staff understand that the pollution trends that are the main reason for an unhealthy environment.
Good air quality in an office is crucial
To improve the air quality and keep the employees happy and healthy in an office environment – Air purifiers should be installed. Proper air circulation helps improve the working environment. It provides the people with a sense of calmness that is of utmost importance when challenging works are at hand. Breathable air that has been circulated around the office space in the right manner keeps the instincts intact and provides the thinking part of the brain to function better.
Also, Read – Report: Cooking Roasted Meals Can Make Household Air Dirtier
It’s important – Both for the employer and the employees to make sure that they are working in an environment that is safe. If Sick Building Syndrome prevails in your working space, it is important for you to notify the person in charge that the Air Quality in the working place needs to be rectified. Air Purifiers are a boon to the new-age working crowd. Working under circumstances that keeps you sane is the most important thing. If the infrastructure at your working place keeps budging into your work, it’s best that things undergo a makeover.
*This article was originally published in Business World.
