3 Tools for a Great Office Environment
Running a successful business requires more than having an innovative idea or developing the best product offerings. The office environment must be conducive to work. A great office environment inspires creativity, reduces stress, and leaves workers happy and satisfied. Additionally, it has everything employees need to be efficient and productive. Workers are returning to the offices given the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, business owners must streamline their workspaces to meet their needs. This article explores three tools for a great office environment.
Stationery Supplies
One major contributor to a great office environment is ensuring your employees have office stationery items required to work. Having the right supplies is integral to the smooth running of business operations. Supplies can be anything from pens and paper to accounting supplies such as tax folders, calendars, tax return envelopes, and tax form envelopes. Your bookkeeper will need these items to handle specific needs and prepare accurate financial statements. When accounting, a financial statement is essentially a statement of cash flows over an accounting period. Managing and keeping track of stationery supplies can be an overwhelming task. Consider hiring an office manager to streamline the process of organizing, monitoring, and tracking inventory.
Air Purifier
Whether at home or in the office, fresh, clean air is vital. Improper ventilation contributes to poor air quality in office buildings, which can have a surprising impact on your wellness and overall health. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that gaseous pollutants can have devastating effects on the lives of people exposed to them. Airborne contaminants like dust mites, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dust particles, pet dander, mold spores, and airborne allergens contribute to poor indoor air quality in an office environment and can cause significant problems for people with asthma symptoms.
Furthermore, some staff members may experience allergy symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and headaches. As building materials and furnishings also emit chemicals such as formaldehyde into the air, it’s vital to ventilate your office regularly. Schedule routine professional air testing to check if the air in your workplace is contaminated. Also consider purchasing a true HEPA air filter, which can help trap these harmful pollutants and provide allergy relief.
HEPA is an acronym for high-efficiency particulate air. The air filter forces clean air through a fine mesh that catches harmful particles such as tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide pollen, pet dander, and dust mites. Most portable air cleaners are outfitted with HEPA filters. Take the initiative and install portable HEPA filtration units at strategic locations within your office premises.
You can purchase HEPA filters at select online retail marketplaces or home improvement stores. However, before purchasing a HEPA filter, you need to determine the clean air delivery rate.
Plants
Scientific research suggests that adding indoor plants to the workspace can significantly reduce airborne contaminants. This is mostly because plants act as a natural filter to trap harmful particles and improve oxygen levels, which invariably enhances employee efficiency and productivity. With regard to aesthetics, plants can also brighten up the work environment and boost the mood of employees. Consider adding plants like peace lilies, violets, and Chinese evergreens to your workspace and avoid plants with spores or pollen to prevent contaminating the air.
Also, note that some heating systems sap humidity indoors during the winter months. This makes office staff susceptible to catching the flu or cold. Indoor plants can add moisture to the air and boost the humidity in the office environment. What’s more, they can trap volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air that cause eye and skin irritation and make it difficult to catch your breath.