The concept is simple: Employees are more productive when they are comfortable in their workspace. For this reason, commercial building designers often design building systems that create optimal comfort. Electrical systems, plumbing, flooring, decor windows, and the HVAC system all contribute to a healthy and comfortable environment that promotes greater productivity.
The challenge is getting everyone to agree on the optimal work temperature. To meet this challenge, owners often install HVAC systems that feature SMART systems, temperature zoning, humidity control, air filtration systems, and more personalized control. Below we look at how an HVAC system can improve productivity at work.
What Is the Right Indoor Temperature for Work?
Setting a temperature that everyone finds comfortable when designing an HVAC system is impossible. A temperature that feels comfortable for one person may feel too hot or too cold for someone else. For this reason, the challenge is achieving an indoor temperature that is comfortable for as many people as possible.
Numerous studies have suggested the following results
- Productivity peaks when the temperature is between 70°F and 77°F.
- Productivity is at its lowest when the temperature is below 62°F or above 86°F.
- Women are less productive when the temperature is too low.
- Men are less productive when the temperature is too high.
Understanding the data can help you design an HVAC system that provides optimal comfort in all areas of your commercial space. To achieve comfort in every workplace area, you need to calculate heating and cooling loads and install equipment that can provide the right temperature. HVAC configurations depend on the building size, layout, materials, and floor plan.
How Humidity Impacts Workplace Productivity
Maintaining a productive environment includes installing a commercial HVAC system that regulates humidity properly. Indoor humidity should fall between 30 and 50 percent. What happens when humidity levels are too high or low?
High Humidity
Are your employees complaining that it feels too hot? If there has been no significant change in outdoor temperatures or your pre-programmed settings, and your system is in good condition, consider that high humidity might be the issue. When the moisture content is too high, your workers will feel clammy, warm, tired, and sluggish.
Low Humidity
Low moisture levels cause itchy skin, rashes, sore throat, coughing, and a stuffy nose. Employees can regularly experience any or a combination of these symptoms. “Sick building syndrome” is a common term for cases in which employees miss work frequently due to an illness attributed to their work environment.
An HVAC system should regulate your humidity to be ideal for the workplace. However, if you are experiencing significant problems, consider installing a humidifier or bringing in some potted plants, which release moisture.
Can Dirty Air Affect Productivity?
Poor indoor air quality can result from inadequate HVAC maintenance, lack of ventilation, and sources of air pollution. If you do not take measures to improve the air quality, you will likely notice a decline in employee productivity.
Health Effects
The air in your office can be dirtier than it is outside. It contains a wide range of particles that are harmful to human health, including dust particles, bacteria, pollen, and animal dander. These particles can make your employees more susceptible to eye and nose irritation, cold, flu, dizziness, and headache. Prolonged exposure to polluted indoor air may lead to severe conditions.
Mood Effects
Air pollution can impact mood and cognitive abilities. It can cause workers to experience fatigue, mood swings, depression, and loss of concentration, resulting in lower productivity. Employees exposed to bad air may feel that their employers are not concerned with their well-being. As a result, they will not be motivated to deliver their best performance.
Benefits of a Clean, Efficient, Reliable HVAC System in the Workplace
Save Time
One of the biggest culprits of lost employee productivity is time wasted. When an office is hot, employees spend more time getting water, adjusting fans to keep themselves cool, and getting work done less. Installing the right air conditioning unit in your office can buy you back hours of productive work from your employees.
Keep Them Focused
Hot temperatures feel heavy and make employees both physically and mentally sluggish. As a result, they have difficulty concentrating on the task at hand, struggling to solve basic problems and making mistakes. An office air conditioning unit can increase the speed and ability of your employees to move, think, and, ultimately, work.
Decrease Stress Levels
In a fast-paced, ever-changing work environment, give your employees something to count on to keep them both physically and emotionally cool. Instead of allowing the temperature of your office to fluctuate with the hot weather, install an air conditioning unit that keeps the space consistently pleasant. It can produce a calming effect for the entire office.
Optimize Their Technology
Workplace technology runs at its best in cool, dry places. Keep your tech running fast and your employee productivity high with office air conditioning! As many would say, we are only as fast as the tools and technology that enable us.
Boost Morale
Have you ever thought your office could be a sanctuary for your employees? As we mentioned earlier, air conditioning makes for pleasant spaces. When employees enjoy being in the place where they work, their work can feel lighter and easier. It can become easier for them to accomplish tasks.
Schedule HVAC Installation in Virginia
Cardinal Plumbing, Heating & Air offers complete professional HVAC installation in Virginia. We can help you design and install the right system to project specifications. Choose from a wide range of features that create a clean healthy environment and promote productivity. Contact us today to get an on-site assessment of HVAC installation.
