For some time now, productivity has been declining in our company steadily.
- People aren’t as motivated as before to give their best.
My boss called me into her office the other day to discuss the issue. After our talk, she put me in charge of getting to the bottom of the matter. She wanted to know why each employee’s performance was dropping. The task was challenging, but I knew I had to do it. Rather than perform one on one interviews, I came up with a different solution. I needed a unique way of getting honest answers from my colleagues. The best method was to create a questionnaire and not ask for names. Everyone could express themselves and remain anonymous. It worked, and I came to learn that poor ventilation was the issue. The bad AC in the office made it unbearable to work. For some time now, the office HVAC system has been making noises. Though it still worked, it was loud and at times stopped working altogether. Many employees found it hard to come to a stuffy office that was either too hot or cold. The surprising thing was our office had an expert air conditioner repairman on the premises. He always said it was good, so management never saw the need to replace the aging cooling unit. After reading the report I had compiled, my boss swung into action. She fired the technician and hired an HVAC company to do an analysis. When the team of cooling and heating system experts saw the unit, they were in shock. It had been years since any parts replacement or servicing. The compressor was in its last life, and the air filters were worse. The dust, debris, and mold meant the air quality was terrible in our office. That’s why many employees suffered from never-ending illnesses. Our boss got a quote from the air conditioner company and purchased a modern ductless AC. Once the unit was in place, the difference was like night and day. The air quality dramatically improved, and everyone was smiling once more. Also, our company hired the team to do regular maintenance to ensure the system was always functioning at its best.