There is now overwhelming evidence that staff productivity can be seriously affected by office surroundings and conditions — and not just the buildings in which they work — one of Britain’s leading environmental experts has claimed.
Traditionally it was thought that design and materials were the prime causes of so-called Sick Building Syndrome and that workers’ health and comfort problems are directly linked to the time spent in a particular building.
“For architects and designers, the idea that buildings influence the health, wellbeing and productivity of their occupants is not new,” explained John Alker, director of policy and communications at the UK Green Building Council. “But this type of thinking is still not influencing most design, financing and leasing decisions — beyond perhaps the odd high profile Silicon Valley tech company.”
Salaries and benefits typically account for 90 per cent of an organisation’s operating costs, he added, far greater than energy at one per cent and rent at nine per cent. “The productivity of staff, or anything that affects their ability to be productive, should be a major concern for any employer,” Alker said.
His comments come six months after the World Green Building Council brought together 60 experts from 20 countries and spanning more than 40 businesses and academic institutions, in an attempt to focus employer attention on the workplace issue.
Concentrating on the commercial sector, there is now strong evidence to demonstrate that the physical work environment has an impact on the health and productivity of the office worker.
“Good indoor air quality, thermal comfort, high quality views, daylight, good acoustics and indeed location and amenities — all play a crucial role in creating a healthy, productive workplace,” claimed Alker.
An in-depth analysis of 24 studies carried out since 2006 found that poor air quality lowered performance by up to 10 per cent. Short term sick leave was also found to be 35 per cent lower in offices ventilated with a greater proportion of outdoor air.
On thermal comfort, research indicated a 10 per cent reduction in performance at both 30C and 15C, compared with a baseline of between 21C and 23C.
One recent lighting study even suggested a direct relationship between view quality, day-lighting and sick leave of employees in administration offices at Washington’s Northwest University. Offices with better daylight and views reported 6.5 per cent fewer sick days.
It is becoming apparent that allowing staff direct involvement in there working environment also produces tangible “green” benefits.
“Give people more personal control over temperature, for example, and it typically makes them happier, while also saving energy,” Alker said. “Maximise daylight and access to windows, and it reduces the need for electric lighting, at the same time improving productivity and even workers’ sleeping patterns.
“Vital financial data that businesses are already collecting — absence rates, medical complaints and costs, staff turnover and even revenue — could be collected more systematically, and assessed in relation to place. For example, does this data vary between, or even within, offices?
“Many organisations are sitting on a treasure trove of information that, with a little sifting, could yield important immediate improvement strategies for their two biggest assets – their people and places — and the relationship between the two,” Alker concluded.
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