A study released by smart buildings specialist Honeywell revealed that 6 in 10 surveyed workers would leave their job if employers do not take measures to create healthier indoor environments.
Conducted by Wakefield Research, the study surveyed 3,000 office workers who typically work in buildings with 500 or more employees across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, the Middle East and ASEAN.
As variants of COVID-19 spread, the survey shows that a significant majority of respondents (87%) are more concerned about working in an office building. Despite the broad rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, this is a 19% point increase in concern compared to last year’s findings. Results from the January 2021 survey, of a smaller sample size, showed 68% of workers not feeling completely safe working in their employer’s buildings at the time.
The study showed that 62% of all respondents would leave their job if their employer does not take necessary measures to create a healthier indoor environment that promotes well-being.
When asked their thoughts on what poses a bigger threat to their safety, nearly 3 in 5 (57%) of those surveyed noted co-workers not following safety guidelines, while more than 2 in 5 (43%) said outdated ventilation systems.
“Many companies have been forced to again rethink their return to office strategies given rising infection rates,” said Manish Sharma, vice president, chief technology and chief product officer for Honeywell Building Technologies. “These insights imply that employers need to continue to consider how they are creating healthier and safer workspaces, in particular related to improving indoor air quality and tracking compliance to guidelines such as social distancing and mask wearing. In the long term, creating a healthier workplace can be a competitive advantage to drive employee satisfaction and retainment.”
Honeywell noted that its Healthy Buildings solutions that integrate air quality, safety, and security technologies along with advanced analytics help building owners improve the health of their buildings, operate more cleanly and safely, comply with new guidelines, and help reassure occupants.
In November last year, Honeywell announced that Honeywell Sine, a workplace SaaS solution, can now be used to collect proof of COVID-19 vaccination and testing from visitors, contractors and staff while also managing site access.
The firm said that the Vaccination Tracker feature within Sine Workflows helps companies customize and manage the collection of information to satisfy business requirements, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Honeywell Sine is a comprehensive solution for visitor and workforce management. Sine Workflows helps digitize manual processes such as collecting COVID-19 vaccine records, filling out forms, and reviewing required information, such as evacuation diagrams or other safety processes. The firm highlighted that employers can utilize the mobile solution to pre-screen visitors or employees before arrival. Combined with the check-in features of Honeywell Sine, businesses have an accurate record of who is on their site and when, allowing for ease of record keeping, managing overall occupancy levels and to confirm visitors meet worksite requirements, the firm added.
