Today’s blog discusses how you can approach your boss about office air quality and motivate for a VIRUSKILLER™ air purifier for your workplace.
So, you’re finally back at your desk. And by that, I mean your desk in the office, rather than at home. But how comfortable are you about being there? Are you excited about seeing your colleagues, but concerned about Omicron and whether you’re taking it home to your family? Are you worried about using the meeting room because it doesn’t have a window you can open? Maybe your colleagues aren’t as rigorous about wearing their masks as you are?
If this scenario resonates – or you’re still at home because you haven’t resolved these reservations – you certainly aren’t alone.
Office air quality
Rentokil Initial recently released a new global hygiene report, The Global Hygiene Reset. This report examined the influence of the Coronavirus pandemic on people’s attitudes, behaviours and expectations about hygiene. We surveyed 20,000 people across 20 countries – including South Africa – to build a global perspective on attitudes towards hygiene.
We found that 72% of people surveyed are now more concerned about the spread of germs via the air they breathe indoors than before the COVID-19 pandemic. (You can download the full report here).
So as I said, you aren’t alone in your concerns about the indoor air quality of your office.
Ambius has the solution- VIRUSKILLER™ air purifiers – about which we’ve already written about here. VIRUSKILLER™ is the only air purifier on the market to use a triple filtration process with a UV-C reactor chamber to kill 99.9999% of airborne viruses and bacteria, including Coronavirus, on a single air pass*.
We think this is a pretty compelling reason to have a VIRUSKILLER™ air purifier in the office – but how do you tell your boss you need one?
So, how do you approach your boss about office air quality?
I would suggest that when motivating for an office air purification solution like VIRUSKILLER™ to your boss, you position it as an investment. It’s an investment in both the employees and the business – rather than just an expensive rental item on the company’s balance sheet.
Talk to your boss about the risks of poor office air quality. Most importantly, the damage poor IAQ causes to productivity, and the increase in absenteeism caused by both sick building syndrome and the circulation of airborne viruses. We’re pretty certain that they – like most other decision makers – share the same concerns when it comes to office air quality and the effects it can have on staff.
It’s important to stress that while the Coronavirus has been the wake-up call many businesses needed to look at their office air quality, air purification isn’t only about eliminating viruses from the air.
Improving productivity in the workplace
Exposure to recycled indoor air in air-conditioned buildings – coupled with common outdoor air pollutants that find their way indoors – can lead to poor concentration, headaches, and diminished mental performance. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to a reduction in a person’s ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, and memory.
Recycled air and common indoor air pollutants found in offices can reduce an employee’s ability to respond to the day-to-day demands of their work. It also leads to fatigue, headaches, and diminished mental and physical performance. Carbon monoxide concentrations in the workplace can cause fatigue, reduced brain function, and impaired vision and coordination. Poor indoor air quality has been shown to reduce office performance by between 6–9%.
Poorly ventilated office air that is endlessly recycled and clogged with particulates, germs, and toxic fumes affect our mood, productivity, and workplace performance. And this – ultimately – affects the bottom line. And I don’t think I’ve ever met a boss who wasn’t interested in seeing an improvement in absenteeism, productivity, and the bottom line.
Selling the benefits of clean air
What you need to make clear is that the benefit of acquiring VIRUSKILLER™ clean air technology is the protection of the health and wellbeing of employees. And that this comes with an increase in productivity and a decrease in absenteeism. As well as peace of mind that the business is fulfilling its duty of care to look after the health and wellbeing of all employees.
We believe that businesses which embrace their employees’ fundamental shift in mindset regarding air hygiene at work and implement integrated hygiene strategies (including clean air) will keep them reassured and give them the confidence to return to their premises.
Invest in your company’s future wellbeing today! Contact us about an office air quality survey for your premises.
Leave a Reply