Effects of Green Buildings on Employee Health and Productivity

Abstract

We investigated the effects of improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on perceived health and productivity in occupants who moved from conventional to green (according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings) office buildings. In 2 retrospective-prospective case studies we found that improved IEQ contributed to reductions in perceived absenteeism and work hours affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression, and stress and to self-reported improvements in productivity. These preliminary findings indicate that green buildings may positively affect public health.

Occupant satisfaction in LEED and non-LEED certified buildings

“…However, modest improvements were found in thermal conditions and lighting, and no significant difference was observed for perception of noise and personal control. Singh et al [24] investigated the role of improved IEQ in two pre-and post case studies of occupants moving from conventional to LEED certified office buildings. They found that improvements in IEQ contributed to the reduction in occurrence of absenteeism as perceived by the employees, and to the decrease of self-assessed number of hours of work affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression and stress.…”

Indoor environmental quality assessment models: A literature review and a proposed weighting and classification scheme

“…Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is related to sick-building-syndrome (SBS) [1][2][3], and high IEQ is associated with company and employee productivity gains and employee retention though this area of research is contentious and in need of additional studies [1,[4][5][6][7]. In commercial buildings, green building advocates and indoor environmental quality researchers argue that occupants represent the largest share of the operational costs of a building, which suggests that high IEQ could have economic benefits [8][9][10][11].…”

Reduced Ecological Footprints of Modern Facilities Introducing the Implementation of Advanced Wireless Technologies, and Human Resources’ Benefits

“…Moreover, several studies have concluded to the fact that environmental working conditions (indoor air quality) have a positive correlation to productivity, physical and psychological euphoria and cognitive function, and a negative correlation to morbidity and mortality [90]- [95]. In accordance to the aforementioned research, an additional research suggests that the improved indoor environment of the energy buildings contributes to the betterment of health and productivity of its users, as it is reported a reduction in absences and a reduction in (work-related) illnesses such as asthma, respiratory allergies, depression and anxiety [96]. However, researches have been conducted relevant to the existence of ergonomic design in energy buildings.…”