The Impact of Indoor Air Quality on Employee Health and Productivity

Keeping employees healthy is critical for the success of any business. If a business deals with too many employee absences due to illness, it’s hard to keep up with the competition. Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to want to see your employees stay healthy, so this is an important point all the way around. Indoor air quality plays a big role in human health, and that’s the topic that will be explored more below.

As commercial HVAC contractors, Varney can help you get the most out of your HVAC system and improve overall air quality right away. For help with heating and air conditioning, or anything else that Varney offers, get in touch today.

How Indoor Air Quality is Linked to Health

There are a range of negative health outcomes that can result from breathing in low-quality air on a regular basis. Those issues include developing respiratory problems, having irritation in the eyes, nose, and throat, and even long-term problems like cardiovascular disease and cancer. It’s a major problem to have poor air quality in an indoor space where people are working day after day, as they are obviously going to be cycling large volumes of that air through their bodies over and over again. If you have noticed that your employees seem to be getting sick more often than you would expect, and those issues are often respiratory in nature, it could be that air quality is playing a contributing role.

What Does Poor Air Do to Productivity?

It’s not just employees missing days on the job due to illness that causes a drop in productivity, although that’s certainly part of it. There are also other problems that can play into the picture here, including reduced cognitive function due to exposure to air pollutants. Also, the general morale of the team may be lower when poor air quality exists and the space doesn’t feel comfortable and clean. An upgrade to the air quality is going to immediately feel like an upgrade to the whole experience of working in the building, and that is almost sure to boost the way employees perform.

Making Important Improvements

Several different techniques can be used to improve air quality in a commercial building. As a starting point, it’s a good idea to make sure the air filters are changed regularly in the HVAC systems, so they can do their job effectively. Also, adding indoor plants to the spaces can help to absorb some of the pollutants that are floating around, and even just opening the windows occasionally is a good step (assuming the outdoor air quality is good). Finally, upgrading the HVAC system through the addition of an air purifier will go a long way toward cutting down on pollutants and allowing everyone to breathe easier.

Industrial HVAC systems are capable of incredible performance, but only when they are working their best. Turn to the team at Varney today to address air quality issues or any other problems that have popped up with your system.