What good air really means for daily work
Love is in the air – it’s nice, it certainly helps against headaches and bad moods, but it only helps us to a limited extent to escape the waves of colds in autumn and winter. This year, the Corona Year, good air in the workplace is a particularly important topic. With a few tips, it is quite simple to ensure a good climate in the office.
For Satellite Office, good air is an important issue, everywhere the teams ensure a great climate. Fortunately, there is enough space in all locations and not too many people are in one room at the same time. But you yourself can also do a lot for good air! We give you five tips for good air in the office.
Adequate ventilation of office spaces reduces the risk of infections. And this applies to all pathogens, not only to the coronavirus! Ventilation reduces the number of pathogen-containing fine droplets in the air and thus lowers the risk of infection in rooms. An office with a window to open is simply worth its weight in gold in autumn and winter! After all, the more outside air is introduced into rooms, the better. This may be fresh, natural air from outside or from mechanical ventilation systems such as air conditioners etc. Air exchange is the most important thing here. There are a few good tips for natural ventilation:
Tip #1: Regularity is what matters. It is recommended to ventilate properly before meetings or even a few minutes before sitting down at the desk. During the stay, do not forget to ventilate in between and also ventilate again for a few minutes after finishing the work or meeting. The more often, the better!
Tip No. 2: By the way, it is better to open the window completely than to put it on the tilt – true to the keyword: shock ventilation. This significantly reduces the number of viruses in the room.
But the indoor climate, that is, what we feel when we enter an office, is not only dependent on ventilation. It is composed of temperature, humidity, air dynamics and air quality. We can check whether the indoor climate in the office is good or bad by looking at our own well-being. Fatigue, difficulty concentrating, headaches and similar symptoms are often indications that the air quality is poor.
One factor for discomfort can be the temperature. Even if it is a subjective feeling – and there are often discussions about this in the office – a temperature of 21 to 22° C is considered optimal in the colder months of the year. If it is above or below this level, concentration and performance decrease. Therefore:
Tip No. 3: Especially in autumn and winter, measure the room temperature in your office and make sure that it is always between 21 and 22° C.
Good air also includes adequate humidity. Measurements are not very easy without equipment, but one notices, for example, too dry air by frequent electrostatic charges. If the humidity is too low, it also has an impact on health. In fact, it means that the mucous membranes dry out quickly and are therefore more susceptible to pathogens. These also spread better over dry air than over moderately humid air.
Tip #4: If you feel your office air is too dry, put a bowl of water on the heater. If you enrich the water with a drop of peppermint oil, it even works against headaches. Because peppermint oil is an all-natural pain reliever – especially for tension pain.
Tip No. 5: You can recognize excessive humidity in rooms by dangerous mold growth. But before it comes to that, you can achieve a lot with good and sufficient ventilation. Also, leave wet umbrellas and jackets outside at the coat rack, don’t take them into the office!
The optimal room climate is an important aspect of ergonomics. It is an issue that every “office worker” should address. Because good air means well-being, the ability to concentrate and thus good work results. Go for it, autumn is coming!
