We’ve all witnessed it, office spaces littered with sweaters, space heaters and personal fans. Large buildings can be difficult to heat and cool and, whatever the temperature setting, leave employers with rampant complaints from personnel. An employer’s first inclination might be to tell the staffer to, “Deal with it”, but the data shows a different story. Getting the building temperature wrong may actually be hitting your bottom line.
Data shows there is a significant link between employee productivity and proper heating and cooling of an office space. According to a landmark study, Dr. Alan Hedge of Cornell University, found offices that are too cold can cause a major increase in typing errors. Researchers found a 74% increase in mistakes and a 46% reduction in typing output when temperatures dropped. Knowing that there is a link between proper environmental quality and employee productivity is still not enough for some companies to properly maintain their heating and cooling systems. Surely the costs for maintenance is more than the savings in productivity. Not so.
In most businesses, salaries account for the lion’s share of expenditures coming in at approximately $130/square foot. Rent comes in at a distant second at $20 per square foot. Following rent are energy and then repair/maintenance costs at $1.42 and $0.39 respectively. Investing in a yearly repair and maintenance contract is a fraction of a percent and can mean getting more for your salary budget in productivity. Adding in the maintenance costs can save you money in productivity costs. Every 1% of decrease in productivity equals 3.33 years of operations and maintenance costs.
Get your building in tip top shape, keep your employees happy and your business humming along. Call Owens Companies today and ask about how our professionals can make your building a model of efficiency.