The importance of health and hygiene in the workplace

By Rebecca Fairfield, Head of Key Accounts at BRITA VIVREAU

When it comes to the workplace, health and hygiene has never been more important. With a quarter of staff admitting they feel worried about returning to the office1 due to the current climate, facilities managers are working hard to provide a safe and hygienic workplace that staff feel confident returning to.

One way facilities managers are ensuring workplaces are prepared for the return of staff is by looking at the facilities within the office, especially shared amenities such as water dispensers and tea and coffee points. Not only do these areas need to meet social distancing rules, but also heightened hygiene regulations to ensure healthy and safe hydration, something that’s vital when it comes to employees’ wellbeing. To combat this, BRITA VIVREAU has launched the new Top & Extra systems with in-built hygiene technology offering an effective, hygienic hydration solution for facilities managers.

Hydration solutions
Water consumption not only has a huge impact on employees’ health and wellbeing, but it also helps to support mental performance, combat fatigue and boost productivity2. By installing a water dispensing solution, facilities managers can ensure that they’re harnessing hydration within their workforce.

In addition to supporting employees’ health, water dispensers are also a great way to make workplaces more appealing. With working from home becoming more common, workplaces are looking to offer services and experiences that attract employees and demonstrate the benefits of an office environment.

Sustainability
Aside from hygienic, innovative water solutions, employees are also going to be looking at what else facilities managers are putting into place for a more enjoyable return to the office and sustainability forms a huge part of this.

It’s no secret that employees are fond of companies that prioritise sustainability and environmental credentials. In fact, our research revealed that 4/5 under 40s would stay at a company longer if it reported back on how it’s lowering its impact on the environment3. However, with working from home saving the typical British commuter around 400kg of carbon emissions each year, equating to 5% of their annual carbon footprint4, it’s important that companies consider sustainable solutions for when staff are ready to return to the office.

For workplaces looking to improve sustainability targets, BRITA VIVREAU water dispensing systems are a great place to start, offering a more environmentally friendly provision. Not only do they help reduce carbon footprints by encouraging the use of reusable bottles, but they also do not require any storage space, lowering energy consumption by eliminating the need to refrigerate water and the use of single-use plastic water bottles.

With research showing that post lockdown there’s been a 45% decrease in the number of people buying plastic bottled water on-the-go5, employees are going to be looking towards their workplaces to provide a sustainable water solution to keep up with these environmentally friendly choices.

BRITA VIVREAU Top & Extra Systems
The new BRITA VIVREAU Top & Extra systems are an effective solution for facilities managers looking for a sleek, sustainable and hygienic water offering. With the innovative HygienePlus and ThermalGate™ technologies, the BRITA VIVREAU Top & Extra systems protect against retrograde contamination and self-disinfects thermally to clear 99.99% of bacteria, resulting in cleaner, clearer great tasting water, in a choice of ambient still, chilled still, and two sparkling water options at the touch of a button.

The BRITA VIVREAU Top & Extra dispensers also offer flexibility for different sized workplaces, with a choice of water capacity depending on consumption needs. The products also pride themselves on being accessible to all with the optional extra Easy Access Panel, (EAP). This provides an additional touch control pad which can be positioned to allow ease of use and safe disabled access to filtered water.

The Top, which comes as a countertop or floor standing model and The Extra, with a minimalistic and smart design hidden under the counter top, are two innovative products for workplaces. They offer the utmost protection for employees when it comes to hygienic hydration, showing them that their wellbeing is in safe hands, something that’s essential for maintaining motivation and settling nerves and concerns around returning to work.

For more information on BRITA VIVREAU’s safe and sustainable water dispenser solutions, please head to www.brita.co.uk/top-50-85 or get in touch with the Dispenser Customer Service Team via 034567 496 555 or service@brita.co.uk

1 Personal Today (Aug 2020): Third of staff ‘want Covid-19 vaccine’ before workplace return
2 personneltoday.com/hr/hydration-workplace-issue/
3 Life is Better Filtered: Next Generation Workplace Sustainability (survey of 1,000 participants), 3GEM in collaboration with BRITA Professional, February 2019
4 WSP: Office VS Home Working: How we can save our carbon footprint
5 YouGov – Britons willing to change behaviour to manage global crisis such as environmental threat, July 2020

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