If your business employs people, it’s your responsibility to provide them with a suitable and safe environment to work in. Not only that, but it’s in your best interests to make that environment as comfortable and positive as possible so that your employees are happy and productive. But did you know how much the ventilation in your offices could impact employee motivation? The wrong temperature, not enough fresh air or high humidity can all cause your employees to feel unwell, unhappy and thoroughly demotivated.

The solution? Good air conditioning.

Why You Need A Good Working Environment

We’ve all been in a stuffy, hot environment at some point. Trying to focus when the temperature isn’t right, or there is no airflow can be difficult if not impossible, and if you have to stay there for prolonged periods it can be incredibly demotivating. All of which are bad news for you. You want employees who are happy, healthy and productive, which means they need a workspace that is comfortable and well-ventilated.

It’s not just Recently studies have shown that good airflow actually enhances cognitive function and decision making, giving your employees a better chance to plan, make decisions and actively engage in their work in a meaningful way. On the flip side, even more research has found that working in a low-quality environment can have significant negative impacts on employee health and wellbeing. And since this is largely controlled by air conditioning and ventilation systems, it’s worth investing in for your workplace.

The Unseen Effects Of Bad Air Quality

Bad air quality doesn’t just make you cough – the impact is far more widespread than that. When the environment is too hot or too cold, employee productivity dip significantly. Lack of appropriate ventilation leads to the air feeling stuffy and air not being cleaned properly before being cycled. This can have a negative impact on long term health, as well as short term productivity.

For example, having a low relative humidity (below 40%) environment increases the lifespan of airborne pathogens, helping them stay suspended in the air for longer and travel further, spreading infection throughout the workplace. Viruses such as influenza and norovirus survive longer at an RH of 20- 30%, whilst a mid-range RH between 40% and 70% will minimise their survival. Tests also indicate the infectivity of the influenza virus is increased by both low and very high RH, with minimum infectivity at 50% RH. But RH below 40% will also make people feel cold, leading to a rise in heating bills, a wide range of health problems and increased absenteeism.

But, you can’t have your RH too high either. Above 60%, people will start to feel uncomfortable and out of proportion with the actual indoor temperature. This will make people a bit edgy, sweaty and generally unable to focus. This causes people to turn on air conditioning or comfort cooling, sending energy costs through the roof. High humidity also encourages mould growth and condensation, which at best is a temporary slip hazard and at worst can create mildew, mould and all of the associated health-related problems for your employees.

How To Achieve Improved Ventilation

The simplest way to achieve good ventilation and air temperature control in your workplace is by investing in high-quality air conditioning and ventilation systems. This can either be done by completely replacing what you have or retrofitting new systems into an existing environment to improve performance. Invest in happier and healthier staff, better employee performance and significantly reduced sickness rates.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we supply, install and maintain air conditioning and ventilation systems for businesses and workplaces across the UK, no matter how large or small. If you would like to know more about improving productivity with air conditioning, just get in touch with the team today.