As facilities and businesses increased focused on wellness over the past decade, the desire for cleanliness has also increased. The convergence of COVID-19 and the heightened awareness of hygiene in public spaces has created an evolved version of this idea: creating healthy spaces.
Employers are navigating new concerns about the workplace. In a PwC survey, 51 percent of employees said they fear getting sick at work and 47 percent feel that their employers need to change workplace safety measures for them to feel safe.

FMs are also facing their own set of challenges, such as including complying with public health guidelines, implementing responsible practices, protecting people in their spaces and overall occupancy concerns.

As business leaders figure out how to bring people back to work and facilities safely, it is more important than ever to make employees and tenants feel safe. The solution is to create safer, hygienic places to live, work, learn and play. Laying the foundation can be established through seven principles for healthy spaces:

Improve indoor air quality (IAQ)

IAQ has always been important, but the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it critical. Many studies have shown that the primary transmission route of the coronavirus is airborne, respiratory droplets and smaller aerosols that can linger in the air for hours. That certainly does not make employees and tenants feel great in a space where a single cough or sneeze can expel germs as far as 27 feet and almost 100 mph.

In October 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance on how COVID-19 spreads to reflect these concerns, recommending proper ventilation of indoor spaces as a mitigation strategy. This can include enhanced filtration with upper MERV value filters, opening windows, increasing local exhaust and using portable air purifiers with HEPA filters.

If managed poorly, indoor air can be a primary source of infection, spreading disease, COVID-19 and otherwise, quickly and widely in closed environments. This creates anxiety for people in those spaces, whether it is where they live, work, learn or play. In a recent study by Carbon Lighthouse, 74 percent of respondents said office IAQ data would make consumers feel more comfortable about their safety. Managed correctly, however, buildings can defend against contamination using air purification as part of an integrated hygiene program. A visible cue, such as an air purification system in the office, provides a psychological benefit that health and safety are of the utmost importance.

Spaces that typically experience air quality issues include break rooms, communal working areas, kitchens, meeting rooms, reception areas and lobbies. Having an air hygiene solution is vital for any shared space to maintain a level of confidence and reassurance that wellness is a top priority.

Make surfaces safe

Although health experts have downgraded the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 by surface transmission, it’s not impossible. With cold and flu season knocking on the door, the risk of other pathogens thriving and spreading via surface contamination is high.

Traditional cleaning is not enough as evidence shows spray-and-wipe methods can miss up to 50 percent of surfaces. To be effective and align with the CDC’s guidance, cleaning should be done in combination with routine disinfection services conducted by professionals.

In most facilities, there are a number of high-touch contact points that can cause a threat to spreading COVID-19, such as door handles, handrails, switches and buttons, remote controls and faucets.

Create a culture to support hand hygiene

Adults touch as many as 30 objects in 60 seconds, and contaminated hands can transfer viruses up to 14 other surfaces and subjects. To limit the spread of illnesses, establish a culture of hand hygiene. This includes getting buy-in from senior leadership, communicating hand hygiene requirements to staff, providing training, monitoring compliance and pursuing continual improvement.

Studies show that the distance to handwashing stations can impact compliance, and in a recent study by Rentokil Initial, 87 percent of respondents expect their employer to provide hand sanitizer in the workplace. By implementing alternative measures such as hand sanitizing stations in high-traffic areas, such as restrooms, entrances and exits, desks and kitchens, businesses can boost hand hygiene compliance. Not only will this help to stop the spread of germs, but it will also improve the image of the business or facility.

Promote cleanliness through scenting

How a space smells matters. A recent study by Initial found 47 percent of people believe if the air smells, it contains a large number of bacteria.

Capitalize on this powerful sense to create a positive sensory experience. When olfaction is engaged in combination with other senses, it can increase brand impact on the consumer by 30 to 70 percent. Businesses can leverage scenting to help foster confidence in a healthy environment and offer the reassurance of well-being to amplify feelings of cleanliness by using fresh, bright scents in a space. The right scents can trigger connections with clean, such as zesty citrus, energizing mint and fresh cucumber.

Design for social distancing

As businesses more forward, companies may offer a phased return of staff and staggered work times to reduce congestion, as well as help those using public transportation to avoid peak times.

Haphazard social distancing practices can make a mess of facility. Plan ahead for social distancing, which does not have to just include taped-off areas and empty desks. There are many solutions that will be not only effective, but make tenants and employees feel safe as well.

Make flexible office design part of a healthy workplace agenda through the use of plants, modular partitions and green wall dividers. Create more defined outdoor spaces, parklets and enclosed patios with planter borders. Introduce one-way systems, new designs for desks and equipment as well as desks facing away from each other.

These elements can be easily moved to create function and versatility, such as separating larger areas to shape private spaces, encouraging social distancing and creating directional pathways. Modular design elements can feature whiteboards or add value through the use of moss, live or replica plants.

Bring in nature’s benefits with biophilic design

Businesses can reap rewards by incorporating nature into their commercial spaces through biophilic design, which capitalizes on humans’ innate desire to interact with nature for positive benefits.

It has been shown that people spend more time in and return more frequently to areas that incorporate plants and natural elements. Biophilic design has also been shown to reduce employee absenteeism, improve health, increase positive mood, amplify productivity, boost employee engagement and combat stress and fatigue.

To design a space with biophilia in mind, utilize plants of varied heights, forms colors and placements. Other basic elements of biophilic design include using plants, lighting, scents, water features and natural elements to soften harsh commercial spaces.

Measure progress

For multi-location facilities, it can be difficult to know whether protocols established to limit the spread of COVID-19 are being executed across all locations.

Audits have been utilized in other industries for decades to ensure quality, safety and public health compliance. This same process can be used in any business to measure COVID-19 compliance, frontline preparedness and issue resolution capabilities. Some of the most common items for evaluation and coaching include: following local health department guidance, wellness policies, social distancing measures, hand hygiene, face masks and PPE and COVID-19 exposure-response.

While in-house teams can perform audits, using a third-party assessment firm provides objectivity, cost-effectiveness and helps ease concerns in times of travel restrictions. Feedback from an outside expert can also provide supplemental staff training, as well as insight into industry best practices.

There are many facets to creating a healthy and hygienic workplace, but these principles can help any organization structure the foundation of a program that helps employees and tenants feel safe, protected and healthy while they are in the shared space. Proper investment in facility hygiene will not only benefit a business by introducing a safer working environment for employees and provide reassurance that it is safe to return to the office, but also may increase productivity as well.