Have you ever noticed that employees in your Lehi office building are sneezing or coughing more than usual? They might be falling sick more often and missing more days at work. Sometimes the complaint might be related to the quality of indoor air, especially in buildings where the doors and windows tend to be kept shut to minimize airflow and keep energy costs down to regulate temperature better.
This sort of office disruption isn’t just bad for productivity; it affects employee morale – no employer wants to be seen as the sort of manager who doesn’t care for the health of their people. Here are some ways you can keep an eye out for any health issues caused by your office environment and work to fix them as soon as possible.
Avoid dirty carpets
Most offices will use carpets extensively to provide a comfortable and insulated floor area for their employees. However, the same qualities that make carpets a cozy feature also tend to accumulate dirt and bacteria. Over time, if unattended, these can lead to frequent asthma attacks and allergies among your personnel and even develop mold. You’ll want to find professional carpet cleaners in Lehi to attend to your regular cleaning needs.
Maintain air vents
Poor indoor air quality may have deeper underlying causes than dirty air ducts. However, obstruction or blockage of air vents can create a buildup of dust and other particles, which in turn leads to favorable conditions for mold formation and vermin infestation. It’s important to keep air vents and grilles free of anything that would obstruct the flow and to perform regular maintenance as scheduled.
No smoking
Under Utah law, indoor smoking is prohibited in publicly owned buildings and offices. A designated outdoor smoking area must be beyond 25 feet of building entrances or exits, as well as windows and air intake ducts. It is important to enforce this at your office strictly. Otherwise, all employees are at risk from increased secondhand smoke exposure, with all the harmful consequences this poses to their health.
Care for indoor plants
Indoor plants and ornamentals are a wonderful way of bringing natural elements and green color into your office environment; studies have shown that plants benefit employees’ well-being, creativity, and productivity while reducing stress levels and sickness rates. It’s essential to keep plants healthy, though – too much moisture can not only be harmful to the plant present mold-forming conditions.
Food rules
One of the easiest ways to control office cleanliness is by having designated areas where employees can eat meals and have snacks. This reduces the possibility of having food particles gather in areas where they might not be cleaned, such as employee workstations. Accumulated food waste is unsanitary and can lead to the presence of vermin, mold, and other pathogens.
Proper food storage is also important. If your office allows employees to store perishable food in the refrigerator, make sure that each package is well labeled with the contents and data stored. Have a time limit beyond which employees must be responsible for taking their food out of the refrigerator, and undertake periodic cleaning to avoid the presence of mold.
Prompt garbage disposal
It’s important to observe proper waste management in the office on an individual level. Not only does this make the final sorting and cleaning process more efficient, but it also promotes responsible behavior, emphasizes that cleanliness is a team effort, and reduces the overall risk of developing contamination on the premises.
Take care of your office and maintain a high level of cleanliness at all times. Your employees will benefit directly with better health, morale, and productivity.
