Is Poor Indoor Air Quality in Your Office Affecting Your Work Productivity?

When you think of air pollution, you most likely picture thick smog that tends to hang in the air in heavily industrialized areas. But in reality, indoor air pollution is typically much higher and worse than outdoor pollution.

When buildings circulate air, they often do not replace enough indoor air with clean outdoor air, which can lead to a buildup of harmful contaminants. Many textiles, building materials, and cleaning solutions contain what are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause health problems ranging from allergies and headaches to nervous damage and dermatitis.

In addition to health issues, these pollutants can also affect your work productivity. OSHA estimates that companies cost themselves $15 billion in reduced efficiency and sick leave due to poor air quality. Employers are focused on maximizing productivity, so they often encourage their employees to eat right and exercise, but do very little to improve the quality of air in the office.

According to research done by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, employers can improve workforce performance by up to 10% by simply improving air quality. Some ways to do this include:

• Clean up spills ASAP to reduce the chances mold and mildew growth.
• Forgo air fresheners. They release VOCs into the air and mask odors that can indicate a mold problem.
• Maintain your HVAC and other building systems and change the air filters regularly.
• Don’t use pesticides to manage pests.
• If you can, use building materials and textiles that are eco-friendly and contain little-to-no amount of VOCs.

While employee workout classes and healthy eating might help, if you’re really looking to increase office productivity, start by improving your indoor air quality. If you own a business on Long Island, GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration can help. Visit our website to learn about our air duct cleaning services, or give us a call at (631) 940-8100.