Providing an inspiring workspace starts with your building's technical systems
As adults we'll spend an average of 90,000 hours at work over our lifetimes, which illustrates how important it is ensure the working environment is a comfortable and safe space. With working hours increasing, we're becoming more aware of the need to place employees' wellbeing at the heart of the corporate built environment.
The comfort of a building's internal atmosphere also has far-reaching consequences to business output – as discomfort can have a negative impact on productivity levels. Recent research found that 25% of office-based staff believed their surroundings left them feeling distracted and dismayed, with 50% losing an hour a day through problems with their working environment. This equates to a massive 21 million days every month. The Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) now cites employee health and wellbeing as one of the biggest HR issues of the modern era.
When it comes to the common complaints about working conditions within offices, one of the biggest issues is temperature control. Workers who experience environments that are too hot or cold find it harder to focus. For anyone involved in the procurement and provision of buildings, the question of how to achieve the optimum working conditions is a significant one.
The answer lies in the sub-system of any built environment, and the solution involves ensuring your property is performing at its best. Hard services such as heating, lighting, air conditioning, plumbing, and security are the lifeblood of any building. These systems are responsible for creating the ideal setting, but their ability to do this job depends on their condition. Old or neglected equipment is more likely to break down or perform poorly and when that happens the biggest impact is felt by the workforce inside. However, a Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme can stop problems before they occur, saving time and money and enhancing reliability.
Here at Sowga, we advise our clients that the best place to start is with a detailed audit to gain an insight into how well your building is doing. This offers an essential overview of the building's technical competence. We conduct dilapidation reports into all aspects, using the latest technology such as thermal scans, so suggested changes are rooted in facts. Installing a BEMS (Building Energy Management System) is also an excellent way to monitor performance and control your systems while improving energy consumption. This can all be done at the touch of a button using the latest smart technology, so you can be more responsive and adaptive to the needs of the people inside.
For more advice on how you can optimise the hard services within your building, creating an atmosphere where inspiration can flourish, visit our contact page to make an enquiry or give us a call on 01798 871000 to speak to our engineering experts.