In FMJ's regular monthly column, our team of FM experts answer your
questions about the world of facilities management
THE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS EXPERT’S VIEW
PENELOPE HARRALL, MARKETING LEAD, REMARK GROUP
With open plan o ices and
collaborative workspaces
on the rise, meeting rooms
are required more and
more as spaces to hold
private discussions, or
as places to undertake
complex work that
requires high levels of
concentration. However,
from Remark Group’s
findings in the ‘Air Quality
and Wellbeing at Work’
survey, we can see that
one in four meeting rooms
aren’t facilitating productivity or collaboration.
So, what can be done? Unfortunately, there isn’t
one straight answer. There are multiple reasons
why a meeting room may not be up to scratch,
but there are many solutions to fix it.
A number of studies have found that high
CO levels have been found to increase
tiredness and impact decision-making. The
primary source of CO indoors is produced
from people and the study found that if
a crowded indoor space is not adequately
ventilated, carbon dioxide can build up to
levels where people start to feel sleepy, lethargic,
dizzy, can have di iculty concentrating and cause
headaches.
Providing meeting rooms with natural ventilation is
the simplest solution to reducing high levels of CO. Where
20 NOVEMBER 2019
that isn’t possible, there are
plenty of HVAC solutions that
can assist in controlling and
cleaning the air. Air Quality
sensors are a great way to
monitor the air quality in
meetings rooms, allowing you to
analyse the data and maintain a
comfortable working environment.
Collaboration technologies, such
as video conferencing, are an e ective
way of supporting collaboration and
productivity. A good video conferencing system can
improve communication, increase productivity, optimise
attendance and reduce travel times and costs. With video
conferencing, you can include live on-screen presentations
to all participants, as well as the ability to make shared notes
visible to all parties. Having to use all senses, not just hearing,
heightens concentration levels and allows you to absorb more
information.
Background noise is another major concern for meeting
rooms and can make those in them more distracted, and
therefore less productive. In another survey conducted by the
Remark Group, it was reported that 65 per cent found that
noise in the workplace impacted on their ability to complete
work in an accurate and timely manner.
When privacy is paramount, a sound masking solution will
contribute to creating an environment with maximum acoustic
privacy, meaning confidentiality is restored and employees will
be less distracted, and working at their most productive.
When it comes to meeting rooms, there is no one solution
that fits all, but with the utilisation of air quality monitors,
collaboration technologies and sound masking, every
meeting room has the ability to be a collaborative and
productive workspace.
MEETING ROOM SCHEDULING
SOLUTIONS EXPERT’S VIEW
CRAIG SEAGER,
DIRECTOR,
WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS CONDECO
Productivity is one of the biggest
challenges that businesses are
currently facing and recent figures from
the O ice for National Statistics indicate
that mounting political uncertainty and a
drop in investment means this is a problem
that won’t be going away any time soon.
Where a meeting takes place can be crucial to
achieve a good outcome but there are also many ways
businesses can enable greater productivity, through both
FM CLINIC
A recent poll carried
out for Remark
Group revealed that
meeting rooms aren’t
facilitating productivity
or collaboration, as half
of people leave meetings
thinking they weren’t
successful. What more can
be done to make meetings more
productive, including their design,
booking process, refreshments
and ventilation?
Penelope Harrall
ADVICE & OPINION
A number of studies
have found that high CO2
levels have been found to
increase tiredness and impact
decision-making.”
– Penelope Harrall