Safely returning staff to the office is the number one priority for numerous businesses over the next few months as companies look to boost morale and productivity. Beyond this, the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the awareness that air quality is a real asset for modern workplaces. Becoming a Pure Air Zone office enables you to not only plan for a return to the office but also to make clean air a competitive advantage.
Since early 2020, we have all had to change our way of working. It has not been easy and many are now suffering digital fatigue. Please, no more Zoom calls!
The truth is that although working from home was an enjoyable novelty at first, there is nothing quite like being back in the office. Some work activities are far easier when everybody is together, while it’s understandable that many feed off the huge morale boost that only being in an office can bring. We’ve prepared this blog post as a guide to planning a return to the office.
Providing a safe return to the office: the short term challenge
So it’s time to get everyone back to their desk, returning to the workplace after Covid-19. But how to create a return-to-office strategy? There are short term challenges that need to be addressed including employee density, social distancing, cleaning and air quality.
The number of employees that return to the office will obviously be limited, at least at first. Many businesses are working with a rota system to ensure that social distancing can always be maintained.
Likewise, many companies are also enacting a comprehensive cleaning programme. Surfaces and other touch points will be regularly cleaned during work hours, helping contain any possible contagion.
These three main areas - employee density, social distancing and cleaning - all play into the fourth difficulty, which is maintaining excellent air quality. The more people you have, the more likely the air quality will decrease. Social distancing will naturally be more difficult also, again increasing the likelihood of illness within a team.
Comprehensive cleaning may prove to be useful on counters and work surfaces but many cleaning products also emit VOCs, which are harmful to human health if inhaled. Considering this is all but guaranteed, an air quality solution is vital for your return-to-office strategy.
How to improve the air? As the pandemic has shown, air quality is hugely important with viruses able to be transmitted via the air that we breathe. This is something we all need to be aware of and thankfully, there is an innovative, biotech solution that allows your company to become a trendsetter and leader in your industry, preparing you for the future before it arrives.
How Becoming a Pure Air Zone helps you create a Return-to-Office Strategy
With a Pure Air Zone, a company can experience the effectiveness of the very latest biotechnology. More than 90% of contaminants do not respond to traditional ventilation or gravity - they are too small. A Pure Air Zone uses a unique physical principle to attract all charged contaminants and purify the surrounding air. Best of all, it can be paired with existing air purification technology to enhance the working environment. Return to the office in style!
AIRcel air purifying bioreactors are the heart of a Pure Air Zone. Innovative and modern, they provide a visible presence for employees which shows that their employer cares about their health and wellbeing.
Completely plug-and-play, AIRcel can also be moved to where it's needed most to ensure the safest possible environment. If more people than expected are congregating on one floor, simply add another bioreactor. Make sure that contaminants are captured quickly and that the air will continue to be pure.
In business, efficiency is everything. U-Earth’s U-Alert system ensures that testing for evidence of Covid-19 can be completed quickly and effectively. Simply add some drops of water from the AIRcel bioreactor to test for neutralised and inactive SARS-CoV-2 particles. U-Alert saves on time and energy ahead of testing the entire workforce individually.
It’s important to note that every Pure Air Zone is a bespoke solution, tailored to each individual space. When it comes to health and safety, a return to the office may not be easy but it is possible to maintain the highest standards, something which Pure Air Zone provides.
Microsoft is one company to have signed up as a founding member of the Pure Air Zone project:
Beyond safety, post-pandemic work life should be reimagined as we return to the office.
Although people are receiving vaccinations, not everyone will be vaccinated upon returning to work. Post-pandemic, it’s important to provide peace of mind to colleagues and employees by showing that the office is safe for their return.
It isn’t just providing mental wellbeing either; a return to the office is fantastic for happiness and boosting morale, which will have a positive impact on performance as staff look to their colleagues to help them improve and reach their business goals.
Awareness of air quality has never been more important and has never been so high. Governments are committing to ever more stringent guidelines and goals to be achieved within the next ten or fifteen years, while companies have to be seen to be delivering their best for employees and customers. Fantastic air quality is one such way that companies can prove themselves to be innovators, taking the lead in providing a vital service and going above and beyond in their commitments.
How corporations can return to the office and set new competitive standards by becoming a Pure Air Zone
With a Pure Air Zone, it isn’t simply about leaving your air purifier in the corner and forgetting about it. Air purification is too important to be forgotten about and ignored. We provide companies with sensors to monitor your air quality with data updated to the cloud every five minutes. Measuring everything from PM 2.5 and PM 10 to VOCs and humidity, employees can quite literally see the change in the air.
There is no need to keep the graphs to yourself either as you can display your credentials to everyone. Proof is everything in the modern world and wall dashboards make it easy to see all of the data in one place (and make adjustments as needed). Key stakeholders are sure to be impressed and there is the possibility of free publicity as well thanks to the Pure Air Zone app.
To help advertise your business, every Pure Air Zone is promoted on the app so that clients and customers can always know where to find pure air - and which businesses offer it! A company biography, website and location can all be added ensuring that everybody knows about the leaders of tomorrow, striving for a better future for the planet.
In addition to this, a Pure Air Zone helps you to meet ESG goals - claim your air quality credentials as part of your marketing and show off the green qualities of your business. As Pure Air Zone harnesses the power of nature with its patented blend of bacteria and enzymes, show that your company cares about the environment and the planet as a whole with this unique biotechnology.
When it comes down to it, a Pure Air Zone is more than simply a back to work strategy for the corporate world. It is an air purification solution that allows you to reinvent the post-pandemic workplace and gain an advantage from it. Ensure that employees excel as they return to the office in confidence.
