1 in 3 Workers Say Air Quality Updates are Critical to Feeling Safer at Work
It’s no secret that 2020 has upended the traditional workplace while permanently changing worker’s expectations in regard to office safety and air quality of the office environment. With vaccine distribution fueling progress in the right direction, more and more offices are slowly bringing workers back into offices, while trying to mitigate Covid-19 risks through social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines. However, in the minds of workers – is that enough? According to a new poll from Wakefield Research, the answer is likely, no. The poll, taken in late 2020, included over 2,000 employees from workers in the US, Europe, UK and the Middle East and found that many workers are still uneasy of the current state of workplace safety during this phase of the pandemic.
According to key findings from Wakefield Research (highlighted in this blog post by Honeywell) 75% of remote workers said they are especially skeptical about the safety of their worksite. Furthermore, 23% of remote workers in the study would rather look for a new job than return to a work environment that did not implement necessary safety measures.
This information suggests that employers have work to do to ensure their employees are comfortable in an office environment as they transition back to working in an office. While masking and social distance guidelines are basic, low-cost strategies to mitigate virus spread, many workers aren’t satisfied with these practices alone. Additionally, many offices have suggested enhanced cleaning practices by wiping down and sanitizing surfaces, however the study also suggest most employees are turning their concerns to the air.
Referring back to the study, 56% of workers are more concerned about transmission through the air than through contact with surface. Furthermore, 41% believe that buildings with outdated ventilation systems are more dangerous than co-workers not following safety guidelines.
This tells us that to mitigate worker’s concerns with Covid-19 safety in the workplace, employers must address air quality. The study explores this idea further by asking about the necessity of air quality improvements with 31% saying that updates to the air quality systems are critical to feeling safer at work. This provides employers with an opportune moment to invest in sustainable improvements in air quality for their office spaces.
How to address air quality concerns?
Each facility has distinct air purification needs, which is why we recommend speaking to our knowledgeable sales team at sales@promarkassociates.com to identify the air purification system that is right for the facility. ProMark Associates provides many solutions that disrupt the organic structure of virus molecules, including our Total Spectrum® technology, available as an HVAC upgrade of filtration and as a mobile unit. ProMark Associates provides other solutions including pleated filters with disinfecting capabilities, mobile air-scrubbing units among other effective solutions to improving air quality in commercial spaces.
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