Buildings or offices and their air quality can make people ill. Fatigue, exhaustion, headaches, concentration problems, irritated mucous membranes, dizziness and nausea as well as increased irritability add up to sick building syndrome. A poor indoor climate is generally considered to be the trigger. However, pollutants, impurities, vapors or an increased noise level also promote the symptoms.
What factors determine the indoor climate in the workplace?
The indoor climate is made up of various, individual components: Temperature, humidity and air quality. Good air quality in the workplace is essential for good work results. But some values, such as the feel-good temperature, are subject to subjective perception and therefore vary widely. It is therefore often difficult to create the optimum conditions for everyone in an open-plan office. Our specifications are therefore intended as guidelines.
The optimal temperature at the workplace
The temperature can be determined well using a thermometer, but this is a subjective feeling. While one colleague is freezing in a sweater, the room temperature is too high for another colleague, even in a T-shirt. The optimum temperature for a productive working day in the office should be set at 21 to a maximum of 24°C. If it is significantly warmer or colder, concentration and performance drop. In summer, the room temperature should not exceed the 26°C mark.
In addition, major temperature fluctuations should be avoided. Because these put a strain on the body. So shield your workplace from heat radiation (e.g. strong sun) or counteract cooling of the premises.
A sufficient humidity in the office
The humidity in the office should be between 40 and 60 percent . Both too high and too low humidity bring with them various effects. For example, too high humidity promotes the formation of mold and causes health problems, especially for asthmatics and allergy sufferers. An air temperature that is too low also affects health. If there is too little humidity in the room air, the mucous membranes of office employees dry out more quickly. This makes them more susceptible to pathogens, which can spread more easily through dry air. If the air humidity is only between 20 and 35 percent, the risk of infection is about three times higher than with an average room humidity of 50 percent.
We therefore recommend monitoring the air humidity with an air meter such as the air-Q and regulating it with a humidifier or dehumidifier if necessary. Placing indoor plants can also help improve the humidity in the office.
Pollutant-free air quality for good work results
Air quality in the office is affected by the following factors and pollutants:
- Oxygen
- particulates
- Pollutants (for example, VOCs emitted from furniture & flooring).
- Pathogen
- Mold spores
Office furniture, wallpaper, floor coverings or printers can emit volatile substances harmful to health (VOCs). You should reduce these and ensure regular air exchange as a preventive measure against exceeding the limit values. Another pollutant in the office is particulates, which can directly reach and damage other human organs in addition to the lungs due to its small particle size. However, odors from the communal kitchen can also affect the indoor air. If exposure to these pollutants increases, the quality of the office climate decreases.
How to improve the indoor climate in the office?
If you are plagued by fatigue, concentration problems or headaches, the air quality in the office is too poor. It's high time for an air change. But even before you notice poor air quality, air pollutants can affect your performance. We will now tell you what helps against bad air in the office.
Regular shock ventilation
A regular supply of fresh air is enormously important for the indoor air climate in order to remove CO₂, pollutants as well as germs and virus-containing aerosols and replace them with fresh outside air. The more fresh air there is in the office, the more disease germs are diluted in the indoor air. Constant CO₂ monitoring reduces the risk by alerting you when the limit is exceeded and allowing you to act accordingly. To identify a possible risk of infection in your working environment, the air-Q Virus-Free Index helps you. Find out how the index works in our article.
Of course, the winter months are also about energy consumption and costs, which should not explode despite the need for ventilation. We recommend situational shock ventilation with wide open windows and preferably also with open doors. In this case, just three minutes are sufficient for air exchange. Therefore, the loss of heating energy is rather minimal. On the other hand, we strongly advise against ventilation via a permanently tilted window. The tilted window cannot ensure sufficient air exchange. In addition, heat escapes unnecessarily, the walls cool down and the condensation that forms can lead to moisture damage or mold.
Plants at work
Green plants are another effective way to improve the indoor climate. They produce oxygen, increase humidity and can even filter pollutants from the air. We have tested various green plants and their effect on air quality, you can find the results on the dragon tree and bow hemp in our separate articles.
Humidifier & Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier can be used to reduce the humidity of a room by removing moisture from the air. These devices are rather uncommon for practical use in the office, since the problem here is rather too dry room air. With a humidifier, on the other hand, you raise the humidity of the room air by adding water to it.
Air purifier
Air purifiers filter harmful particles from the air in your office and business premises. Various filters such as active carbon filters, fine dust filters, ionization devices or humidifiers with filters clean the air and thus actively influence the air quality. Ideally, you supplement an air-Q air monitor with an air purifier. This way, you can use the purifier as needed when the air-measuring device reports a need for action.
Pollutant free office equipment
To prevent exposure to VOC-emitting furniture and technology, you should look for low-emission products and materials when purchasing furnishings. Quality seals such as the "Blue Angel" or the "EU Ecolabel" help here. Products awarded with these seals are subject to strict controls.
Air measurement
Keep an eye on the development of the indoor air in your office and check relevant air components with an air measuring device such as the air-Q. If the measured values reach the stored limit values, the measuring device sends you a warning message via app and displays the development in an easily detectable way via an LED traffic light system. In addition to up to 14 measured values, the air-Q provides information on your performance and health index as well as the virus load in the room.
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Contributed image: portishead1 from Getty Images Signature/canva.com, other images: Sladic from Getty Images Pro & xavierarnau from Getty Images Signature/canva.com
