Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) has released its 2023 Building Occupant Survey Report, which highlights two major themes within the workplace: health and wellness and sustainability. The survey demonstrates how nearly half of respondents (49%) want their employers to implement better indoor air quality and reduce their buildings carbon footprint.
This third annual Honeywell Healthy Buildings survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 2,500 workers in buildings of 500-plus workers across five markets – Germany, India, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States – between January 12 and January 22, 2023, using an email invitation and an online form.
The company said the survey helped shed light on the impact of buildings on both occupant well-being and the environment. Particularly, nearly one quarter (24%) of surveyed U.K. office workers said they are extremely or very worried about their office’s indoor air quality (IAQ), a 14% increase (21%) from Honeywell’s 2022 Healthy Buildings survey.
In the survey's poll of U.K. workers, the company noted that an overwhelming majority of respondents (94%) agreed that the quality of the air they breathe has a direct impact on their health and well-being.
Additionally, eight in 10 respondents (82%) said their expectations for improved IAQ have increased in the past three years. Even more, 16% of respondents said they don’t know how often, if at all, their employer or office building manager monitors their office building's current IAQ, compared with 7% of global respondents. The company deduces that this leaves room for employers to improve both workplace IAQ and communication of IAQ metrics to their employees.
Nearly half (49%) of survey respondents said they want their employer to prioritize both better indoor air quality (IAQ) in their building as well as reducing their building’s carbon footprint. As noted by Honeywell, the findings suggest that office employees are becoming increasingly aware of their work environment and its effect on their overall well-being and productivity, and the environmental impact of the building itself.
Meanwhile, in the study, the U.K. was aligned with the other four surveyed regions when respondents were asked what they would be willing to give up if it meant reinvesting costs to help reduce the environmental impact of their building. A majority of U.K. respondents were willing to give up at least one job perk or benefit (80%), with the most notable items being: building amenities, like lounges or fitness centers (36%); food perks for employees, like coffee, tea, or snacks (33%); less temperature control such as running the heat or using AC less (30%); state-of-the-art technology for my day-to-day job (21%); and part of my salary or bonus (14%).
Manish Sharma, vice president and general manager of Sustainable Buildings, Honeywell, concluded:
“These findings suggest that surveyed U.K. office workers care not only about their building’s IAQ but also about the carbon emissions that the building may emit. As we continue to move towards a more energy efficient future for buildings, it’s important to know that IAQ and sustainability are not mutually exclusive goals – building owners don’t have to choose one over the other, they can prioritize both with Honeywell’s ready-now solutions.”
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