Study reveals C02 levels in offices are ‘silently damaging UK productivity’

If you’re office based, please read.

My client LCMB has just completed a three year study on UK office environments. Here are a couple of the startling conclusions:

- The CO2 levels we commonly find in offices are too high, and undermine our cognitive abilities.

- We're at increased risk of respiratory illnesses and work absenteeism due to low humidity levels commonly found in offices.

Bring CO2 levels down to optimal levels and people’s performance improves:

“With lower CO2 levels, employees’ test scores improved by up to 12 per cent. And in one of the buildings tested, people worked 60 per cent faster with reduced CO2 concentrations”

One of the study's insights that hit me hard is that meeting rooms typically suffer the highest CO2 levels in the building. Yes, the rooms where we make key strategic decisions. So next time you reach for more coffee and biscuits during a meeting, it might be high CO2 levels reducing your attention span, not your need for another coffee.

Here are my takeaways from the research.

1. If CO2 levels are 1000ppm or over (for comparison, outdoor levels are about 400ppm) or if humidity levels fall below 40% for any part of the working day in your office, your productivity and wellbeing may suffer.

2. If you're uncomfortable (too hot / cold, too stuffy, too dry), tell your boss, HR and Facilities Management that your productivity and wellbeing may be affected.

3. Equip those responsible with the evidence:

- The research report: https://wlpplus.com/wp-content/uploads/Improving-Productivity-in-the-Workplace-Results-of-the-WLP-Project.pdf

- A guide on what to do about it: https://www.lcmb.co.uk/productive-workplace-guide-2/

4. If you want to measure your working environment yourself, you can get a device like this to check the air quality at your desk. https://getawair.co.uk.

You can read more here: https://www.fmj.co.uk/study-reveals-c02-levels-in-offices-are-silently-damaging-uk-productivity/