Five Ways Improving Your Office's Indoor Air Quality Can Benefit You Financially

Improving the air quality in your office with the help of a professional makes your office a more pleasant place to breathe, but better air also protects your bottom line. Here are just a few of the ways an air quality specialist can help your business financially:

1. A proven protocol

When you hire an expert to look over your business's air quality, these experts do not just clean vents and install filters. They also give you an outline of the best clean air practices to embrace in your office. Their advice could range from what type of purification system you need to how often you should open your windows.

For example, most people think it improves the air to open windows, but in reality, it depends on what is happening on either side of the window. According to one clean air researcher, in some cases, chemicals from the outside can mix with chemicals on the inside to create a "smog episode". Although it may be counterintuitive, opening the window isn't always the best choice, but an air quality consultant can help you identify the best choices for your situation. By helping you implement a clean air strategy, an air quality service will ensure you get the maximum benefits from your efforts.

2. Fewer sick days

Regardless of the clean air protocol you and your consultant establish, your staff is likely to become healthier as a result of your better air. Although actual results vary based on several factors, one study from New Zealand shows days off work drop by 39 percent when the indoor air quality in a home is improved.

As your workers probably spend almost as much time at work as they do at home, you can expect similar results in your office. Theoretically, if you are paying $100,000 in annual sick leave and you reduce that by 39 percent, you save $39,000.

3. Improved accuracy

In addition to helping safeguard your employees' health, better air quality can also help their performance while they are at the office. Research suggests that with better air quality, workers show at least 4 percent more accuracy on office tasks. In the experiment, researchers added a dirty roll of carpet to an area where subjects were asked to perform office tasks such as data entry. With the dirty carpet emitting toxins in their breathing space, the subjects showed less accuracy. When the carpet was removed, their accuracy improved by 4 percent.

Regardless of the type of work happening in your office, if you boost accuracy levels, you reduce mistakes, save time and ultimately save money.

4. Potentially higher property values

As the benefits of improved air quality are becoming more widely known, real estate investors are looking for clean air elements. If you own your office building, making improvements to your indoor air quality could also help to boost your property values.

5. Extra Financial Benefits

The potential financial benefits discussed above are just a few of the benefits you may enjoy. By making your office healthier, you reduce potential compensation claims from your employees, and as a result, you may be able to get lower insurance premiums from your insurer.

If you have equipment – ranging from factory equipment to office printers and copy machines – dirty air can negatively affect that equipment. By cleaning up your air, you can look forward to less dust in the air. As a result, your equipment is less likely to get dirty or clogged.

You will also notice intangible benefits that can relate to your bottom line. For example, if your office is healthier, it will improve your reputation, helping you attract better talent and making you look better to competitors, colleagues and clients.

Share